Book Review\Timely Author Interview

Greetings. Today's blog entry will tackle a different subject. Instead of blogging about travel adventures, fun traditions, or interesting culture observations, I will be reviewing a wonderful new book, entitled: "The Forgotten Warrior," by Kathi Oram Peterson. I thought I would begin by helping you all get to know Kathi a little better. I e-mailed her today with several questions that I thought were pertinent. =) They are as follows, complete with her responses, and my helpful remarks. ;)

But first, here's a picture of the author in question: Kathi Oram Peterson. She's a nice young lady from Idaho, just like someone else we all know and love. (Okay, for those who aren't aware, I was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho . . . a "few" years ago. Also, in an interesting coincidence, I attended junior high with people from the land of Rigby, which is where Kathi was born and raised.)

And now for the informative interview:

1.) "Kathi . . . can I call you Kathi?"

"Most people do."

"Ah. Kathi, if you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?"

What first pops into my mind is I'd love to live in a cabin near the Tetons. But here's the deal. My parents had a cabin near Palisades Lake in Idaho. I went up there once all by my lonesome
. . . for two very long weeks. I wanted to finish a book I was writing. I took a watch dog, my fearless Yorkie, Lizzie. A lot of help she was; she'd bark if the wind rattled the windows. But the most troublesome thing was, I was so lonely. Sure I had my cell phone, but still to just see another human being was a treat. So while I'd love to live in the mountains, I couldn't do it alone. I'd have to have my family and friends there, too.

I hear you on that one. I love quiet moments in the woodsies myself, but I would eventually get lonesome. And for the record, the area surrounding Palisades Lake is gorgeous. Not to mention the square ice cream cones available at nearby Swan Valley. Okay, we weren't mentioning ice cream, but I threw it in for bonus information. And while these ice cream cones aren't necessarily gorgeous, they are extremely tasty.

2.) Kathi, I see you were born in Rigby, Idaho. Has this fact influenced your writing?

Yes. I had a very idyllic childhood. My summers were filled with floating down the canal, walking to the movies (there were two theaters in that small town), drinking Coke Floats at the drug store, going to the rodeo (the rodeo grounds were a block away) and participating in the town's parade. As much as I loved the summers there, winter was a magical time. Santa Claus would arrive in town on the fire engine and pass out small bags of candy and an orange. The stores would light up with beautiful displays in their windows. We would hookie-bob to school (don’t ever do that), have ice-skating parties at the Dry Beds, and most people participated in lighting up their homes for the town's Christmas Lighting Contest. The town definitely influenced the writing of my Christmas book, An Angel on Main Street.

Way cool. As you may have seen above, I once attended Midway Junior High with people from the realm of Rigby. (I lived in Menan during my formative years.) I travel through Rigby a few times every year, on purpose, even. And now my m-i-l and her current spouse live in this location. You're probably happy I shared that information.

3.) What is your favorite color? Dark purple.

What another amazing coincidence. Aside from the fact that my favorite color is blue and not purple. But purple is a great color. I even have a purple dress.

4.) What is your favorite animal?

I admire horses, have respect for lions, but I adore my little Yorkie, Lizzie. I didn't know how much until one day she disappeared. My husband was watching both Lizzie and our grandson in the back yard. I went in and took a shower. As I was toweling off, I heard my husband calling the dog, and I knew she'd escaped our fence. She's so little she can crawl under in many places. Everyone in the family started looking for her. She was missing for several hours, when we received a phone call. It was our dog's vet. A lady had found her, read her tags which had the animal clinic's phone number and called. I'm so grateful she was an honest person.

Me, too. That's often a surprise in today's world, finding an honest person. As for animals, I like horses, lions, and dogs, too, but I really like penguins. They're so cute; pinch their cheeks.

5.) Did you know that television was discovered in Rigby?

You bet I did. I had a science class in the very room where Philo T. Farnsworth drew his first diagram of a television tube. I wasn't there when he drew it. He was much older than I am. But the legend of the room lived on. The sad thing is the building is no longer there. Okay, so I am old.

You're not old. Trust me. And Midway Jr. High was torn down, too. I understand your pain.

6.) Where did you attend college?

The University of Utah. I graduated in 2000. See, I'm not that old. Okay, here's the thing, I went back to college after my children finished high school.

I'll bet you were excited over how well the football team from your alma mater did this year. I saw U of U play against Alabama, and I don't even like watching football on TV. But that was a great game. I even cheered when Utah won.

7.) What is your favorite food?

Love Italian. Pizza, noodles, cheese, and creamy sauces.

We could so be close friends. ;) Have I mentioned that I have a talented Italian friend who makes her own pasta and sauces?! Heavenly, simply heavenly.

8.) If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 3 items would you consider crucial to have with you?

My goose-down pillow, a strawberry Pop Tart, and my computer with internet access or maybe my cell phone, unless there's no service, then definitely the computer.

I so agree with two of those choices. (Lifts eyebrow over strawberry Pop Tart.)

9.) What are your favorite hobbies?

Other than writing fiction and reading, hmmm I'd like to learn digital scrap-booking. I received the latest and greatest software for Christmas, I just haven't had a chance to use it. I love going to the movies, I guess that's a hobby. Oh and I quilt. My oldest daughter and I took some classes. I'm not very good, but working on it.

Great hobbies . . . aside from quilting. Not that I have anything against people (like my m-i-l) who live to quilt, it's just not my thing. Mostly because I'm so bad at it and I usually stick myself with the needle and bleed all over the place, but that's just me.

10.) If you could visit a certain era during Book of Mormon times, when would that be?

Although I love the stripling warrior story and I'd do most anything to meet Captain Helaman and Captain Moroni, I'd have to say that I'd like to be in the land Bountiful when Christ came to the people. I can't even imagine how joyous that would be. One time I had a dream that I was on a boat that Jesus was on. His back was to me. I walked over to him. He started to turn about, and I knew at any moment I was going to see him . . . and then, I woke up. I've often wondered why I awoke at that time. And I realized I wasn't ready to meet him, even in a dream. There's so much to do and so little time.

Great answer, Kathi. I've often wondered what it would have been like to have existed during that time. I think it would have been so wonderful.

And you were probably wondering how I was going to lead back into commenting on your new book that is centered around a historical moment from the Book of Mormon. Now you know. ;)

I love history, and I love the Book of Mormon. Combine the two and add in a dash of time travel and you have Kathi's novel, " The Forgotten Warrior." Thumbs way up on this book!!! I was hooked from page one and had a difficult time putting it down once I started reading. In fact, I read the entire book in less than two days time, which says quite a bit for me . . . and for this book.

Here's a brief synopsis:

A young woman named Sidney Morgan is transported back in time to the land of Zarahemla right smack dab in the middle of the famed Stripling Warriors. Accused of being a Lamanite spy, Sidney has to prove herself worthy of trust. A black belt in karate, she quickly establishes a reputation as a valiant warrior, and she is asked by Captain Helaman to help train the Stripling Warriors for future battles.

Because of her short hair, and a tendency to defend herself, Sidney is mistakenly labeled as a young man. This proves to be an interesting plot twist. As is the fact that back home, Sidney's mother is fighting a battle of her own against cancer. It is after Sidney bumps into a trio of strange gentlemen I suspect may be the three Nephites, that she is propelled back through time, away from the hospital where her mother is being treated.

I thought Kathi did a great job of blending the two eras. It is obvious that she has done careful research and there were moments as I read when I felt like I was right there watching as history unfolded. This is a sign of a good book.

Warning: This novel ends on a cliff-hanger. Will Sidney find her way home? Will the young Stripling Warrior she falls for survive the current battle? Will Sidney's mother win her personal battle with cancer?

For answers to these and other questions, be sure to read this book--and all future books in this series.

And here are two purchase links where you can buy Kathi's book:

http://deseretbook.com/store/product/5017602

http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Warrior-Kathi-Oram-Peterson/dp/B001QGNF1I/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235163682&sr=8-13

Also, Kathi is sponsoring a neat contest on her website. Here's the information:

People nominate a youth girl or boy between the ages of 8-18 to be Latter-day Stripling Warriors simply by writing down a kind deed or deeds that the youth has done. The entry forms are on my website www.kathiorampeterson.com, click on "Events", then print out the entry form and mail it to me. I will then sent each and every entry that has a return address a certificate that says "_____ is a Latter-day Stripling Warrior. It will be signed by me and three of the heroes in the book. The grand prize winner will receive a $50. gift certificate from Amazon.com."

This sounds like a cool contest. I encourage you to participate in it, and to read Kathi's book.