The Road Show by Braden Bell

Yes, as a youth I was traumatized by many a road show, but somewhere along the way the road shows in my stake stopped. I heard rumors of budget cuts and reducing competition and probably a few other things. I guess I just assumed it was a Church-wide mandate not to do road shows anymore and personally I didn’t think I’d miss them. As far as I know none of the wards I’ve lived in since high school have participated in said activity, so imagine my surprise to find out road shows are alive and well in Utah. (You people just have to be strange, don’t you?) ;)

With visions of my own childhood road show nightmares dancing through my head, I honestly had no idea what to expect from a book by the same name. The cover was beautiful, but I suppose I still assumed it was stupid humor because that was my own experience with those events. But within reading the first few paragraphs I could tell this book wasn’t meant to be light and humorous. Do you remember the old Jack Weyland book The Understudy? The Road Show by Braden Bell had the same sort of feel for me.

Instead of stupid jokes and bad acting I found sincere intents in both the story line and the characters portrayed. With a theme such as “Our Savior’s Love” I came away from my reading experience just as filled as the characters were for their participation experiences. That had a down side though- there was a strong embarrassment factor. I finished, publicly bawling my eyes out, at the kid’s swimming lessons and was completely appalled with my display, but totally in love with this story. That’s a road show I really would have loved to see.

Anything I didn’t like? Well, when I first began reading The Road Show, I wasn’t sure that I was going to like it. The story begins with multiple snippets of the character’s lives, pointing out their difficulties and the areas where their testimony seems to be lacking. Even though the situations were real and poignant, the book itself didn’t really catch my interest until the call to direct the road show was extended. I think I would have preferred to have the character vignettes woven into the actual storyline a little more and have everything set up for me at the beginning a little less.

Still, this is a very powerful story and an even more valuable message. If you’re one who shudders at the mere mention of a road show don’t let the subject matter keep you from reading. This is one road show you’ll not regret spending your time with. You might even learn a few things about yourself along the way. I dare you to read The Road Show without being able to find a portion of yourself in one of the characters.

Need a good read to boost your spirits before buckling down for the dreaded Primary program practices or a renewal of energy for a Young Women’s or other church event? The Road Show just might be what the doctor ordered. This one goes on my “will re-read” and “will recommend” shelf. I’m so glad I picked it up, fears of stupid humor and bad musical numbers notwithstanding.

I've Got Some Studying to Do

I noticed the other day that I have 278 books on writing in my "to read" file. I don't keep track of how many I've read, but I promise I've studied my craft.

Here's the thing though. I still feel jipped. See, I live on the wrong side of the United States.

I write for the LDS market. Where is the hottest base for that market? Utah.

I write fantasy. Where's the biggest pocket of writers and conferences for fantasy writers? Yep, you guessed it: Utah.

Where do I live? Michigan.

Are you getting the disconnect here?

While I'm sitting at home in MI, all of my friends are working together in critique groups who really "get" where they're coming from. They're going to scads of conferences to hone their craft. Then having the audacity to gush about how good it was and how inspired they are because of it. I blow raspberries in their general direction.

If that's not bad enough, life circumstances have dictated that I will also be missing the one conference I haven't missed in, um, 6 years.

Hence, I was overjoyed to find I actually could attend a little bit of those conferences.

Dan Wells has posted links to his presentation at LTUE (Life, The Universe, and Everything) conference on Story Structure, both on live YouTube videos, and the powerpoint presentation he used.>

John Brown and Larry Correia have also posted videos of their class at LTUE on "How to Write a Story That Rocks"

Thank You!

I think I need to declare myself "on vacation" this weekend and hole up in my office watching writer's conference videos.

Pickup Games by Marcia Mickelson

Here’s a nice, quick read for those of you who have an interest in sports and romance, Pickup Games by Marcia Mickelson. It will be of particular interest for those of you who live in Utah because, you guessed it that’s where the story takes place and those are the teams Marcia focuses on.

Pickup Games is a follow-up novel to Marcia’s highly-praised Reasonable Doubt. Pickup Games does stand alone, but it carries over elements and characters to show them in a new light. Pickup Games tells the story of two newscasters, Mick and Cara, who really don’t see much to like about each other. However, they have one thing in common that makes them a perfect match for a new show. They are both basketball fanatics and previous college players with a lot of potential. Hence sparks of all kinds are flying every time these two interact. You know they’re going to end up together, but like any good romance you still enjoy the journey it takes to get there. Pickup Games is a totally cute and totally perfect name for this one!

I have two personal grumpies about Pickup Games. One may throw you off for a moment, but I’m pretty sure the other is an “Alison is weird” thing so take it for what it’s worth. First the tiny whine. The storyline and characters are well developed, it’s an engaging read. But, one of the minor characters in the book gives Mick some very valuable advice. When he does it feels completely out of character for him. It was advice Mick needed, and he wouldn’t have turned to any other source to get it, but the way the character presented it was far too serious for what I’d come to expect from him. It threw me off for a moment.

Now, here’s my confession that goes with my biggest whine about the book. See, I’ve had Reasonable Doubt on my “to-read” list since it came out. I love a good mystery and the cover intrigues me. But, that cover is also the reason Reasonable Doubt kept getting pushed back. See, I’m not a sports person. At all. Unless they someday make marathon napping an Olympic event the whole attraction of sports and competition is totally lost on me. Anyway, even though Pickup Games can and does stand alone, I think it hurt me personally not to have read Reasonable Doubt first. Why?

Because I really, really, hated Mick. Yes, I could read and understand why he was the way he was. I could appreciate that he grew and changed. But all in all he was not a guy I’d ever care to know—friend or date. That’s just a personal thing. He’s not a bad character, I just have little patience with his basic personality type in real life, thus I took it out on Mick. I really think that if I would have built a reader-relationship with him in Reasonable Doubt I would have liked him better in Pickup Games. ;)

On the other hand, I really liked Cara. She was someone I could admire and relate to. She has spunk, poise, and a great attitude. I’d also love to know Pablo and Julie, they can have me over to dinner any time.

There’s one more thing that I took away from Pickup Games that really made it worthwhile for me: the contemplative message Mick and Cara receive from one of the coaches they are interviewing. Basically, there are more things to consider in life than just money and prestige. A career can be just as successful for the big time or little time player depending on what they bring to the table and what they want to take away when it’s all said and done. Good food for thought and something I definitely needed to be reminded of these past few weeks.

Now, the basketball element. How did that work out for me? It honestly wasn’t as painful as I feared (sorry Marcia). The games and information addressed weren’t just thrown in to try and create a different angle. They were there as every good story element should be: to advance the story and help you understand the characters better. Marcia didn’t overwhelm every page with description that someone who doesn’t watch or participate in the sport would find foreign or distracting. I made it through in just a few days and came out the other side satisfied with what I’d read. I think I really do need to repent and pick up a copy of Reasonable Doubt, though.

Here’s the long and short of it: Love sports and love romance? Pickup Games is a good book for you. Loved Reasonable Doubt and care about what happens to Mick? Pickup Games is definitely for you. Love romance but sports, not so much? Don’t let the basketball on the cover scare you away. It may not become your favorite book, but you won’t be disappointed by the interpersonal aspects of the story.