2010 Mormon Literature Year in Review

By Andrew Hall

Part 2: The Mormon Market

Link to Part 1: The National Market

Wm notes: portions of this bibliographic review rely on comments from sources who have chosen to remain anonymous. As I said with his report on independent Mormon publishers posted here at AMV last July: I’m personally confident that Andrew has used his anonymous sources judiciously and within standard journalistic practices. But also keep in mind that the comments here represent particular points of view.

(Note: I am now posting at Dawning of a Brighter Day, the blog of the Association for Mormon Letters, a weekly column covering the world of Mormon literature.  The focus is on published fiction, but I also cover theater and film.  I also link to recently published literary works, news, and reviews. I hope to make the brief column a convenient gathering place for authors and readers to announce and follow news about the field each week.)

In this section, I will look at the Mormon fiction market by analysing recent trends, introducing each publisher, noting books that have received especially strong reviews, and noting the passing of a beloved author.

Despite the troubled economy, the number of literary works published by Mormon market publishers rose considerably in 2010. This was despite the fact that the publishers owned by the Church’s Deseret Media Companies, Deseret Book Publishing and Covenant Communications, stood pat on their annual output. The rise was due largely to an increase in the number of fiction works published by independent publishers Cedar Fort, Leatherwood, and Valor. Publishers report, however, that the book-selling economy remained stagnant in 2010, which means that more authors and more books crowded into the market, increasing the competition for market share.

Mormon publishers have lagged behind the general publishing world in making their works available as ebooks, although that appears to be going through a significant change this year. Cedar Fort was the most active publisher in this area, with most of its current catalogue available at the Kindle store. Deseret Book started making its books available in late 2009, and today it has over 1000 books available for the Kindle, although the vast majority of those are non-fiction. Only a tiny selection of its most popular novels are currently available. In January 2011, however, Deseret Book Company will launch its Deseret Bookshelf app for the iOS platform (iPad first, then iPhone, and iTouch), with future plans for expansion to the Android platform. “We anticipate we’ll have more than 2,000 titles available by the time we release the app,” said Matt McBride, e-pub product director for Deseret Book, “with literally hundreds more coming monthly.” Deseret Book says it will also continue to make more books available for the Kindle. I do not know if Covenant books will be available on the Deseret Bookshelf app. Covenant had also been slow to venture into the ebook market, only beginning to make titles available for the Kindle in 2010. Still only half of its current fiction catalogue is available in that format. Granite, Wido, and Parables have all of their books available as ebooks, Valor has about half, and Leatherwood has less than that, although it reports that it is working on getting all of its books available.

Looking at trends in the Mormon publishing field, in 2010 historical novels and mystery/suspense titles were down slightly, while romance, particularly the lighter “chic-lit” genre, was up. Young adult fiction, which Mormon publishers have often avoided out of concerns that it is less profitable, was up strongly. Most interestingly, the number of novels which contained no significant Mormon characters or settings rose considerably. Even Covenant Communications, which traditionally has been the publisher most insistent that its books contain specific LDS references, has loosened up on this requirement—somewhat. Managing Editor Kathryn B. Jenkins explained, “Most of the books we publish with little or no specific LDS content are from the Regency romance period—which occurred before the Church was organized in 1830. We have one book, by Michele Paige Holmes, that we will release in February that contains no LDS content, but that is extremely unusual. In the overwhelming number of cases, our policy is that fiction needs to have LDS content. Our policy remains unchanged: our fiction titles need to have LDS content unless they occurred during a period before the Church was organized.”

I will next discuss each Mormon market publisher, name the ownership and editing principles when I can figure them out, and discuss their output for the year. I will start with the two Church-owned publishers, Deseret Book Publishing and Covenant Communications.

The Deseret Management Corporation is the for-profit management company for the assets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Its CEO is Mark H. Willes. The division of the company that operates the media subsidiaries is Deseret Media Companies. It includes the KSL Broadcast Group, the Deseret News, Deseret Digital Media, and the Deseret Book Company. The Deseret Book Company’s CEO is Sheri L. Dew, and its VP for Publishing is Boyd Ware. The Deseret Book Company runs eight major business units. One of them is Deseret Book Publishing. Another is Covenant Communications, a separate business unit located in American Fork, away from the rest of the Deseret Book Company units. The other six business units are Deseret Book Retail, Seagull Book, Excel Entertainment, Time Out Events, Deseret Book Direct, and LDS Living Magazine.

Deseret Book Publishing uses two imprints, Deseret Book, for LDS-focused product, and Shadow Mountain, for values-based, non-religious product. The unit also runs Shadow Mountain Records and Zion’s Mercantile (décor and art). Deseret Book Publishing has three “Publishing Directors”, or book acquisitions editors: Jana Erickson, Cory Maxwell, and Chris Schoebinger. Maxwell handles historical fiction, biography, and doctrinal titles. Schoebinger handles children’s/young adult fiction and non-fiction, as well as the majority of the Shadow Mountain titles. Jana Erickson handles general fiction, inspirational, and self-help titles. Deseret Book Publishing published 19 novels in 2010, which is about the same as it has done for the last four years. 10 of those were through the Deseret Book imprint, and 9 through the Shadow Mountain imprint. Schoebinger reported, “We have separate meetings as we discuss the different imprints and their respective titles. But essentially the same people work on both imprints.” The company plans to publish 22 novels in 2011, 11 at each imprint. Brandon Mull’s final Fablehaven novel was the company’s best-selling novel of the year. Gale Sears and Josi Kilpack wrote the bestselling novels aimed specifically at the Mormon market.

Shadow Mountain has had amazing success on a national scale in recent years with middle reader and YA fantasy novels, and responded with a significant rise in such titles in 2008 and 2009. Deseret Book may have felt that they overextended its fantasy line, as they published fewer fantasy works in 2010. Schoebinger insisted they will continue to publish in the genre, including a new fantasy series by Tyler Whitesides that will commence in 2011. Commenting on the company’s success in juvenile fiction, Schoebinger said, “I think the key has been our grass-roots efforts. Authors need to beat the pavement. It takes time and energy to get noticed. We started these efforts with Obert Skye, who’s been wildly successful at touring schools and visiting bookstores across the country. These are NOT pleasure trips. Our touring authors get very little sleep and sometimes don’t see their families for consecutive weeks. We’ll continue to partner with national publishers where we think it makes sense. Obviously, we have a great relationship with Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing [which has published the paperback editions of several popular Shadow Mountain series].”

I spoke to two authors who published with Deseret Book Publishing after working with independent publishers in the past. One commented, “They are the biggest, and the hardest to break into. Being published with them is like winning a medal that says, “I am good at what I do!” . . . As one would expect from a church owned organization, the royalties are always on time and always accurate. They treat their authors well enough. Emails are seldom answered in a timely fashion as if they are simply too busy. They do a few classy things like the author/artist dinner, and Christmas cards.” Another author said, “The biggest difference is the support that Deseret Book gives in regard to marketing. My book is in every catalogue and several magazines. I do a lot of my own promotion and Deseret Book matches my efforts and supports everything that I do. They are also interested in creating a career for me, which means they work with me on revisions and help my book be the best it can be.”

>Covenant Communications, formerly an independent company founded in 1984, was acquired along with its sister company Seagull by the Deseret Management Corporation in 2006. Although it is owned by the same entity, it is an entirely separate business unit, with its own acquisitions, editing, design, and production, and marketing departments. Barry Evans runs the unit as General Manager and COO. Kathryn B. Jenkins is the Managing Editor, and Kirk Shaw and Samantha Van Walraven are the book editors. On the relationship with Deseret Book, Jenkins commented, “Our businesses are kept completely separate as far as day-to-day functioning is concerned. We don’t know what their upcoming titles are, and they don’t know what ours are. We don’t put our heads together at all for planning purposes. Since they own us, of course, we are financially linked, but that would be the only thing other than top-level management that we share. We have benefited tremendously from being owned by the Church as far as having an easier time with permissions and related issues, and enjoy strong and visionary leadership from Deseret Book.” Despite their common ownership, there remains real competition between the two business units.

Covenant published 30 novels in 2010, which is the average number it has produced for the last seven years. It plans to continue at that pace in 2011. Kathryn Jenkins reported, “Our strongest fiction genres right now and for the foreseeable future tend to be suspense, romance, and historical. We have never been able to do very well with either fantasy or young adult genres, but are going to be offering several of those in the next few months with energetic new authors and marketing plans.” Their best selling fiction titles for 2010 were Chris Heimerdinger’s Sorcerers and Seers and Anita Stansfield’s Dickens Inn romance series.

One author wrote of Covenant, “They have been a delight to work with. They focus on fiction and know what to do with it. The royalties have always been paid on time and are accurate. They return emails! I feel like I matter to them. I have my editor’s phone number saved on my cell phone and I know he will answer, and not be annoyed when I call . . . When he sends back edits, I know he isn’t making frivolous changes. I know he’s asking for changes that will strengthen the book, and I want to work hard to do a good job for him, because I know he’s working hard to do a good job for me.”

In July I wrote a piece that described the struggles that independent LDS publishers face. I wrote, “[The Deseret Media Companies] are also able to get automatic access to the two largest Mormon-specific bookstore chains, Deseret Book Retail and Seagull Book. Independent publishers have to submit their completed books to an approval process to get placed on the shelves of these two bookstores, which can take months, and which can act as a brake on a book’s publicity momentum.  Two of the most prominent outlets for book marketing, the Deseret Book bi-monthly catalogue and the LDS Living magazine (also acquired by Deseret Book Company in recent years), charge advertising rates which challenge the resources of publishers.  Finally, many books published by the Deseret Book Company are sold at the popular Time Out series—devotional-like events promoted from the pulpit which feature inspirational talks by recently published authors and tables full of books published by Deseret Book Company available for purchase during the event.” Several of the independent publishers, particularly Cedar Fort and WiDo, see the Mormon market as just part of their business model, and have published several books by non-Mormons aimed at a national audience.

Cedar Fort (also known as CFI), founded in 1986, and located in Springville, UT, is the largest independent publisher of Mormon books. Lyle Mortimer is the Publisher, Lee Nelson the Associate Publisher, Bryce Mortimer the Executive Vice President, and Heather Holm the Managing Editor. Cedar Fort published 34 novels in 2010, up from 23 in 2009. This is the first time since I began recording numbers in 2000 that Cedar Fort exceeded the number of novels published at Covenant, which lead the market in that category throughout that period. On the average, however, the Cedar Fort fiction authors are less well known than those Deseret Media publishers. Publisher Lyle Mortimer commented, “We actually do an inordinate amount of fiction just because Lee Nelson and I like it so much. Fiction very seldom makes much money. It takes several non-fiction books to kind of cover the costs of the fiction.” Mortimer continued, “We ended 2010 with a 12% increase in sales, our best year ever when last year was our previous best year ever . . . Our sales at Ingram and other national accounts has continued to improve . . . and the LDS market ended up about even. We are hiring 7 new positions within the next month. This will increase our labor force by about 14%. We have very exciting (and large) goals this year and obviously believe we can reach them in spite of the economy.” Although it is careful to publish books that fit currently accepted bounds of Mormon propriety, it is bolder in publishing books that contain challenging or non-mainstream elements than the Church-owned presses.

Cedar Fort has a history of publishing new authors, providing many Mormon writers with their first opportunities. Well over half of its 2010 fiction authors were publication rookies. In comparison, in 2010 Deseret Book published only one new fiction author, and only about 20% of the fiction authors at Covenant were first-timers. At one time Cedar Fort encouraged new authors through an “author participation program”, through which an unproven author was asked to put up a portion of the publication costs, which would be returned if the book sold well. National bestselling YA author James Dashner published his first novel under this program. Cedar Fort discontinued the program approximately six years ago, because it felt it gave them a negative image.

Despite a 22% growth in the size of Cedar Fort in the last 10 years, I imagine it has limited resources when compared with the Church-owned publishers. Their approach today appears to be to produce a huge number of titles (nearly 100 in 2010, when you count all of the non-fiction), and see which authors are able to gain traction on their own. Then they back those titles, at the expense of the others. One author commented, “CFI has a history of not marketing books until they ‘catch’ the market, which usually takes six months or so to be noticeable by which time the initial spark is extinguished. One of my concerns about CFI publishing so many books is that they aren’t giving marketing attention to them. A few will stand out and have better sales, at which time CFI will get behind them and do some marketing, but it’s a very backward form of marketing to me.”

Concerning marketing, Mortimer commented, “We spend nearly 20% of our budget on sales and marketing. We get in front of buyers nationwide. Often, (because we do risk a lot on first-time authors) we aren’t as successful as we would like. We feel we have been successful when we have given a first-time author a shot.  I subscribe to Mark Twain’s quote, ‘The great public is the only tribunal competent to sit in judgment upon any literary effort.’ Once that great tribunal has spoken, I am not going to try to convince them they are wrong. As a result some first-time authors are disappointed. Because we risk more on first-time authors than other publishers do, you may hear that disappointment more often from the CFI direction. If the press or rumor mill points out that a minor proportion of our authors are dissatisfied, our only alternative to quell that kind of disquiet is to quit doing so many first-time authors. We believe there are diamonds out there and we want to mine for them. The only problem is you don’t always know what you have found until you get it washed off and cleaned up and set in front of the light.”

Authors wishing to publish with Cedar Fort should not expect extensive editing of their manuscripts. One author reported, “I’ve heard of an author getting a few edits here and there, but others have told me that not a word was changed in their books before press–so the editing is spotty. I will say that I have seen an improvement in recent years–it seems like some books are actually edited and proofed, but some still are not.”

Another author reported, “CFI has its advantages. They are fast in production, and for the most part they have really nice covers. They don’t edit very much. That light editing is what really keeps them from being huge contenders in the market. The potential is there, but they fall short because they don’t take that extra step to get involved in the editorial process. They are unyielding in their contracts.”

Another author reported, “I felt that CFI missed the mark on editing in several books I picked up this year . . . I continued to be very impressed with Cedar Forts covers and overall formatting of their books, I think they are as good, if not better on some books, as any other publisher in the market. Sometimes their covers tend to ‘match’ one another too well, but overall I think they’ve done an excellent job . . . I have noticed some improvement with editing, but am surprised that I continue to find editing issues . . . I’m impressed with the number of books CFI is putting out and glad to see so many new authors getting published with them since Deseret Book and Covenant don’t seem to be taking on many new names, but I would like to see improved quality in the editing and in some of the story development. I have said for many years that CFI is the strongest publisher in the market next to Deseret Book and Covenant. I feel that if they would pay more attention to editing and really work hard at choosing only those books that are exceptional, then support those authors and market those books, they could be a stronger company than they have ever been. They have some excellent authors publishing with them right now.”

Mortimer and Nelson reacted strongly when I shared these quotes with them. They commented, “If what you have written is true, we’d certainly be out of business. Instead we have averaged 22% growth for the last ten years . . . We’ve paid the most advances ever this year, starting at about $2,000. The largest advance we ever paid was $50,000 . . . Cedar Fort has been able to grow even when the LDS market has remained level by publishing more and more non-LDS book. We are the largest publisher in the world for Dutch Oven cookbooks, and are now publishing a wide assortment of other cookbooks, plus an increasing number of garden, camping and outdoor titles.” Concerning the editing, Mortimer responded, “We don’t spend a lot of time reconstructing fiction work. If we don’t think it will fly, we won’t publish it or we send it back to the author for revising. We try very hard to keep the author’s voice and maintain the author’s integrity (probably harder than most publishers). The work remains the author’s work and not our work. Very, very seldom will you find typos and gross ‘publishing’ errors.” Mortimer then insisted that every book they released had gone through significant editing and changes.

Mortimer continued, “We are getting more and more recognition from nationally established authors. We signed Dave Wolverton yesterday. We signed [national romance author] Carla Kelly a month ago. Patricia Davis is now on board. There are many others we expect to announce in the next few months. By attrition we may be spending less and less on first-time authors. Again, this makes me a little sad. That’s where the real excitement and satisfaction is.”

Although there is frustration among some Cedar Fort authors about the amount of editing and marketing that the publisher provides, I also heard from several authors who said they realized the strengths and weaknesses of the company when signing their contracts, and were happy with the results. For more details about publishing with Cedar Fort, here is an interview with the Cedar Fort acquisitions editor about the process of submitting, and here is an interview with the public relations director about their marketing. The bestselling 2010 novels at Cedar Fort were Cartels and Combinations by Mike McPheters, The Widower’s Wife by Prudence Bice, The Carpenter’s Miracle by Judd Parkin, The Christmas Stone by Liz Carlston, City of Angels by Sheralyn Pratt, and The Hoarders by Jean Stringham.

Granite Publishing and Distributing, located in Orem, UT, is the Mormon publisher I know the least about. Jeff Lambson founded the company in 1995, and continues as the President of the company. It has been reported to me that Lambson sold the company some years ago, but remains in charge of day to day affairs, but I have not been able to confirm who the present owner is. Granite published eight novels in 2010, which is about even with what they have done over the last ten years. They also distribute books published by others. Their novels tend to go by relatively unnoticed in the Mormon market.

One author reported, “When I had books currently being published by Granite, they were very kind to me . . . My books were edited very professionally by Granite. The marketing was minimal and less than I would have wanted, but they are a small company with a low budget for marketing . . . My overall impression of Granite remains favorable.” Another author commented, “They did one marginal edit on my book and almost no advertising, which unfortunately I didn’t understand would be the case . . . I hate to be negative, but it’s been very disappointing and I won’t be working with them again.”

I discussed three small independent publishers, Leatherwood Press, Valor Publishing, and WiDo Publishing, in some detail in my earlier article on independent publishers. Here is an update on the three.

Leatherwood Press, which publishes fiction under its imprint Walnut Springs Press, is owned and founded by Garry P. Mitchell, and is located in Salt Lake City, UT. Linda Prince Mulleneaux is the Managing Editor. They published twelve novels in 2010, and have moved into second place behind Cedar Fort as the most active independent publisher of Mormon fiction. Mulleneaux reported that Walnut Springs will publish at least twelve novels in 2011. When I noted to Mulleneaux that all of the recent fiction authors were female, she responded, “That is because we mainly publish romance, which tends to be written by females. As we delve into genres such as fantasy, urban fantasy, and sci-fi, we’ll no doubt publish more novels written by males.” Walnut Springs’ bestselling author in 2010 was Ronda Hinrichsen.

Candace Salima is the founder and owner of Valor Publishing Group, founded in 2009 in Orem, Utah. Valor got off to a very strong start in late 2009 and early 2010 with an announced slate of twelve books from a mix of new and established writers, and the coup of acquiring the rights to a previously unpublished manuscript by the late W. Cleon Skousen. In May 2010, after publishing five novels to start the year, it put all books scheduled for release in the spring and summer on an indefinite hold, reportedly because of difficulty acquiring funding. Also, several authors reported that the company did not keep its commitments in terms of marketing.  When the publication hold stretched on into the summer, several authors asked for and received back the rights to their books. Two founding members of the Executive Board resigned around the same time for unspecified reasons. Two of the returned books have since been picked up by Cedar Fort, and the rest have been self-published. Since the summer the company has been quiet, although one remaining author claims that her book is close to being released. Salima, a political activist, recently created her own cable TV talk show.

WiDo Publishing, based in Salt Lake City, was created by the family of Karen and Bruce Gowen in 2007. Kristine Princevalle is the Managing Editor. It published two novels each in both 2009 and 2010, and reports planning to publish five to seven books in 2011. Although all of its books so far have been by LDS authors, WiDo staunchly avoids the term “Mormon publisher”, and half of the authors scheduled for publication in 2011 are not LDS.

There are four publishers working in the niche market of literary Mormon fiction: one well-established house, and three one-person (or one-family) businesses. Altogether, they produced seven works of literature in 2010. Only one of those seven was a novel, therefore I will talk about the individual non-novels in Part 3 of this review.

The most prominent of the literary houses is Signature Books, a well known publisher of books on Mormon issues, particularly histories and collections of primary documents. It was co-founded in 1980 in Salt Lake City by the current owner and President George D. Smith. Among the staff members are Gary Bergera (acquisitions editor) and Tom Kimball (marketing). It published two literary works in 2010, a poetry collection and a short story collection. It plans to spend 2011 publishing only non-fiction, and will return to publishing a small amount of literature in 2012.

The most active of the three small literary presses is Chris Bigelow’s Zarahemla Books, which has published an average of three works a year since 2006. In 2010 it published two short story collections and a collection of literary essays, which by early December sold a cumulative total of 410 copies. Bigelow reports having three more books planned for 2011, but added “I’m a little burned out and don’t see myself personally doing much else with Zarahemla beyond 2011 . . . This is par for the course for me on volunteer things: I tend to last five solid years and then feel ready to move on . . . That said, there’s no reason to ever shutter Zarahemla. I would like to keep it open for qualified editors with book projects that they have already perfected with the authors and that sound like they would be good to publish.”

Parables Publishing was founded in 2006 by Beth Bentley of Woodsboro, Maryland, and has published one or two books a year since then. It published one novel in 2010, Robert Goble’s Across a Harvested Field. Bentley said of her house, “Primarily we want to be known for realistic, contemporary LDS fiction . . . I want to publish the kinds of books I most want to read—namely about thoroughly engaging characters with LDS values, dealing with challenging, real-life problems. I’m not interested in gratuitous apologetics or inspiration. However, if some of that is organic and fundamental to the plot, it’s fine. Humor is a plus, but preachiness and easy, pat solutions are a really big turnoff.”

Eric W. Jepsen’s Peculiar Pages, founded in 2009, is an imprint of Elizabeth Beeton’s Kansas City, MO publication company B10 Mediaworx. It published Out of the Mount: 19 From the New Play Project, and in 2011 it intends to publish a short story collection, Monsters and Mormons.

One new publisher debuted in 2010, Alan Rex Mitchell’s Greenjacket Books, located in Vernon, UT. Mitchell, the 2000 winner of the Marilyn Brown Unfinished Novel award, says, “we are oriented toward a male LDS audience, hoping the LDS housewife will buy books her sons and husband will read. One example is Regulating BB, an LDS sports/missionary book, and we hope [our upcoming] Mormon Vampire parody will attract LDS teen boys who will enjoy poking fun at vampire novel. We would like to do more doctrine books.” Greenjacket produced four books in 2010, all of which were written at least in part by Mitchell: a playscript, a new novel co-written by Mitchell, a reprint of an older Mitchell novel, and a non-fiction work on the causes of the current recession. Greenjacket plans to produce 5 to 6 works in 2011 (this time primarily by other authors), including perhaps four literary works.

Over December and January I did an informal survey of Mormon authors and reviewers of LDS, asking them to name their favourite Mormon novels of the year. The books I will mention in each genre were those which were mentioned by significant numbers of the readers I questioned.

The most highly regarded author among her peers, according to my informal survey, is Josi Kilpack. Kilpack produced the third and forth in her series of cozy Sadie Hoffmiller culinary mysteries, Devil’s Food Cake and Key Lime Pie, for Deseret Book. Jennie Hansen said “with Devil’s Food Cake she delivers a polished novel that can hold its own anywhere.” Jeff Needle wrote, “Kilpack knows how to keep a story moving. There isn’t a boring page in this book. And just when you think you have the plot figured out, Kilpack throws a curve ball, and you’re back to square one in trying to figure out just what’s happening. There are no uninteresting characters. But there are plenty of characters to dislike. I found myself being surprised again and again as I had to re-evaluate my feelings about some of the players . . . A delightfully addictive series to sink your teeth into.”

Kilpack is currently the President of the Whitney Academy, which means her books will not be considered for 2010 Whitney Awards. There are several other very strong contenders in the Mystery/Suspense category. Covenant published two highly lauded mysteries, Jeffrey S. Savage’s A Time to Die, the third in his Shandra Covington series, and Stephanie Black’s Cold as Ice. In the suspense/thriller genre, the title I heard praised the most often was Gregg Luke’s psychological/medical drama Blink of an Eye. Other strongly reviewed books included Traci Hunter Abramson’s Crossfire and Backlash, both from her Navy SEALS “Saint Squad” series, Steve Westover’s FBI mystery Defensive Tactics, Rachelle Christensen’s fast-moving romantic suspense novel Wrong Number, and Julie Coulter Bellon’s kidnapping thriller Dangerous Connections.

YA fantasy is nothing new in the Mormon market, Shadow Mountain has published many such volumes in recent years, Cedar Fort had seven YA fantasy novels in 2010, and Walnut Springs and Valor published fantasy titles. Covenant, which has largely avoided speculative fiction in the past, in 2011 will begin a space-opera science fiction series. With the enormous load of Mormon authors who are releasing YA fantasy through national houses, those being published specifically for the Mormon market can be overlooked. Within the fantasy genre, contemporary paranormal had been seen as beyond the Mormon publishing pale, but in 2010 Shadow Mountain released Rachel Ann Nunes’ Imprints, about a girl who can read human emotions and memories left on physical objects. For the most part, the Mormon publishers avoid works which feature both LDS characters and fantasy elements. Fantasy is fine, as long as firm wall is kept between it and the reality of LDS life. The one exception to that rule is time-travel fantasies, pioneered by Chris Heimerdinger, where a contemporary LDS (usually a teenager) goes back in time to a moment in Book of Mormon or Restoration history. There were three such novels in 2010, Jeffery Savage’s Restoration fantasy The Fourth Nephite looks to be the strongest of the group. Of the YA fantasy novels that had no Mormon content, the best reviewed were Donna Hatch’s fantasy romance Queen in Exile, and Dixie Owens brain-transplant fantasy Becoming Kate.

Outside of fantasy, two other YA novels which received strong attention were Ally Condie’s last (at least for now) Mormon market book Being Sixteen, a serious novel about teenage sisters and bulimia, and Becca Wilhite’s cute romance My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions.

Although there was much highly lauded Mormon literary writing in 2010, most of it was in short story or literary non-fiction form, and thus will be covered in the third part of this series. Some notable general adult fiction included Annette Lyon’s Band of Sisters, Braden Bell’s The Road Show, Michael Knudsen’s The Rogue Shop, Robert Goble’s Across a Harvest Field (which won the 2010 Marilyn Brown Unpublished Novel competition), and G. G. Vandagriff’s Pieces of Paris.

Meridian Magazine reviewer Jennie Hansen listed two novels set in Russia, Gale Sears The Silence of God and Sandra Grey’s Trespass, as her two favourite Mormon market books of the year, and many of my correspondents agreed with her. The Silence of God is based on a true story of a LDS family in St. Petersburg in the 1910s, living through those momentous years of Russian history. Trespass is the third in Grey’s sweeping World War II series, this one set primarily in the immediate post-war Soviet Union. Close behind those two in terms of strong reviews was Oh Say Can You See, the fourth volume in L. C. Lewis’s War of 1812 Free Men and Dreams series. H. B. Moore’s Alma the Younger and Marianne Monson’s The Water is Wide, about a British convert in the 1840s, also received strong notices.

Second to Josi Kilpack, the book that my informants mentioned the most as their favourite Mormon market novel of the year was Sarah M. Eden’s Regency romance Courting Miss Lancaster. Another frequently mentioned romance was Julie Wright’s contemporary comic LDS romance Cross My Heart. Other romances getting favourable reviews included Heather Justesen’s suspenseful romance Rebound, Carol Warburton’s The Legend of Shannonderry, set in 19^th century England, Kaylee Baldwin’s first novel Meg’s Melody, Rachael Renee Anderson’s comic romance Luck of the Draw, and Michelle Ashman Bell’s Hometown Girl.

The author Linda Sillitoe passed away on April 7 at the age of 61 of a heart attack after a long illness. Sillitoe is probably most remembered for her investigative reporting for the Deseret News and Utah Holiday magazine in the 1980s, and her 1988 book Salamander: The Story of the Mormon Forgery Murders (co-authored with Allen Roberts), which chronicled the Mark Hofmann bombings in Salt Lake City in 1985 that killed two people. Of her eight published books, four were literary works (all published by Signature Books): two novels, a poetry collection, and a short story collection. She received the Association for Mormon Letters Award five times: twice for poetry (in 1977 for “The Old Philosopher, Letter to a Four-Year-Old Daughter”, and in 1993 for her book of poetry, Crazy for Living), once as a combined award in poetry and fiction (1981 for “Lullaby in the New Year” and “Demons” (Sunstone May-June 1981)), once for criticism (1980, for her article “New Voices, New Songs (Dialogue 13.4, 1980)), and once for a novel (1988, Sideways to the Sun). She had short stories anthologized in two landmark Mormon collections, 1983’s Greening Wheat: Fifteen Mormon Short Stories, and 1992’s Bright Angles and Familiars. Signature Books wrote of her, “She was an advocate for those who have been marginalized by society: minorities, gays, abused women, the chronically ill.” Author and editor Lavina Fielding Anderson said Sillitoe was “one of the strongest and earliest voices for Mormon feminism . . . I loved the suppleness and subtleties of her style. Her poems, written as a young mother balancing child-rearing needs with the passion to write, articulated those dilemmas, discovered afresh every generation, as well as they’ve ever been done. Her novel, Sideways to the Sun, made her the voice of a sisterhood taking both Mormonism and motherhood seriously.”

Literary works (novels, short story collections, poetry collections, etc.) published by LDS publishers. (Wm says: the table no longer fits within the page guides of AMV so click on the link to view it)

]]> http://www.motleyvision.org/2011/2010-mormon-literature-year-in-review-mormon-market/feed/ 29 http://www.motleyvision.org/2011/2010-mormon-literature-year-in-review-national-market/ http://www.motleyvision.org/2011/2010-mormon-literature-year-in-review-national-market/#comments Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:46:20 +0000 motleyvision http://www.motleyvision.org/?p=5182

2010 Mormon Literature Year in Review:

By Andrew Hall

Part 1: National Market, 2010

(Note: I am now posting at Dawning of a Brighter Day, the blog of the Association for Mormon Letters, a weekly column covering the world of Mormon literature.  The focus is on published fiction, but I also cover theater and film.  I also link to recently published literary works, news, and reviews. I hope to make the brief column a convenient gathering place for authors and readers to announce and follow news about the field each week.)

Mormon authors continue to enlarge their presence in the fields of nationally-published young adult and middle grade novels. Brandon Sanderson is becoming a leading light in the epic fantasy genre. Stephanie Meyer published another bestselling book. Glenn Beck sold nearly as many novels as he did non-fiction. I appreciate the width and depth of the work that Mormon authors are producing, and feel tribal pride in their success. But only a small percentage of the nationally published novels Mormons are producing what can be called adult literature. And only a miniscule amount of these novels specifically address Mormon doctrine, culture, or history. Brady Udall is a nationally recognized literary craftsman of the highest order. The fact that he has taken his skill and used it to explore a subject fundamental to the history of Mormonism, and did it with such skill, humor, and charity, thrills me to the core. For these reasons, without a doubt the 2010 Mormon novel of the year was Brady Udall’s The Lonely Polygamist.

Okay, The Lonely Polygamist is about a tiny fundamentalist sect in southern Utah, not about modern Mormonism. But as Udall wrote “Whether we like it or not, polygamy is not only a part of our past, it’s part of our present, our scripture and theology, which both suggest it will be part of our future. If we are to respect our heritage and be honest about who we are as a people, we must acknowledge polygamy’s place in our church and culture.”

The novel is a darkly comic family drama about Golden Richards, a bumbling, insecure polygamist patriarch with four wives and 28 children, who feels increasingly disconnected from his family after the death of a child. The point-of-view rotates between Golden, Trish, the fourth wife, and Rusty, a misfit eleven-year old son. Here are some comments from reviews: “It is funny, it can be moving, it is ambitious and it is tender about man’s endless absurdities and failings” (NY Times). “Udall’s story has some of the whimsy of John Nichols’s The Milagro Beanfield War but all the complexity of a Tolstoyan or even Faulknerian production—and one of the most satisfying closing lines in modern literature, too” (Kirkus Review). “The Lonely Polygamist is a great novel. Is it a perfect novel? No–but I doubt a perfect novel exists, and this was one of the best novels I’ve read in the past few years. I had a few very small quibbles  with the book: the main character, Golden’s, ineffectuality got a little wearisome at times, and I’m not entirely satisfied with the ending. But the tremendous scope of the book, the lovely prose, the masterful handling of multiple points-of-view, the emotional openness–this is a book that will have you laughing and crying–makes this novel worthy of a five star rating. There’s a generous helping of language and sex, so not all Mormon readers will be comfortable with the novel.  That said, anyone interested in serious study of Mormon literature must read this title” (Angela Hallstrom). It has been named on several year-end list of 2010 best books, including Publishers Weekly Best 10 Books, Kirkus Review’s Best Fiction Top 25 and MacLean’s Top 20 Books. Entertainment Weekly named it the best novel of 2010, saying, “it is packed with more heart, more humor, more tragedy, and ultimately more hope than any other novel published this year.”

I count 29 young nationally-published adult/middle grade novels by Mormon authors published in 2009, up from 23 in 2010. The number is so large that the Whitney Awards committee recently decided to split the YA category into YA General and YA Speculative. Paranormal romance and retold fairy tales continue to be leading genres for Mormon authors, following in the wake of Stephanie Meyer and Shannon Hale. Additionally, the success of Susan Collins’ Hunger Games series has produced a surge in dystopian novels over the last two years. 2010 saw the release of the first of Ally Condie’s Matched series, as well as The Scorch Trials, the second in a dystopian series written by James Dashner. A middle grade dystopian novel, Kristen Landon’s The Limit, also appeared, and two other YA dystopian series, by Elana Johnson and Rob Wells, will debut in 2011.

Ally Condie’s Matched may be the biggest hyped YA novel of 2010, coming off furious bidding among publishers and studios for the manuscript and film rights. While it would be hard for any book to meet those expectations, reviews have been very strong. A starred review in Kirkus stated, “Condie peels back layer after dystopic layer at breakneck speed, Dylan Thomas reverberating throughout . . . Detractors will legitimately cite less-than-subtle morality and similarities to The Giver , but this one’s a fierce, unforgettable page-turner in its own right.” The Wall Street Journal wrote, “That Matched works so well is due partly to the author’s even, measured prose. The cool clarity of Cassie’s voice eerily suits the watchful, unfree Society she inhabits . . . But the book’s greatest appeal lies in Ms. Condie’s ability to capture—in a way that is completely appropriate for adolescent girls—the intensity of young love.” Two persistent criticisms are that the story feels to similar to Lois Lowry’s The Giver, and the ending left too much unresolved. Matched was one of 21 novels on Publishers Weekly 2010 Best Children’s Fiction. Mormon readers might be interested to see that Condie is able to garner great national interest and respect, while still keeping the book as content “clean” as any of her previous Mormon novels.

James Dashner’s The Scorch Trials is the sequel to the 2009 novel The Maze Runner, and tells the story of a group of boys forced into a struggle for their lives by an oppressive future government, similar to The Hunger Games. Kirkus Review wrote, “Taut and bleak, continually intriguing and surprising, this is a solid sequel that keeps . . . readers wondering what is really going on.” VOYA called it “chilling and heart-stopping”, but Publishers Weekly wrote, “the narrative bogs down under the weight of unanswered questions”. Barnes and Noble named it as one of its ten Best of 2010-Teen Books. Dashner also produced The Blade of Shattered Hope, the third in a middle grade fantasy series, for Shadow Mountain, the national imprint of Deseret Book. Interestingly, the Deseret Book retail chain declined to stock The Scorch Trials (published by Delacorte) in its stores, stating, “it contains language some of our customers would find offensive, as this book is targeted to teenagers.”

Besides their shared genre, another connection between Condie and Dashner is that they first published novels in the Mormon market before moving up to national market publishers. Condie wrote five Mormon-themed YA novels for Deseret Book, and Dashner began with a four-book fantasy series for Cedar Fort. One might think many more authors would go through this route, using the Mormon market as a kind of minor league training ground. But in fact, of the many 2010 Mormon fiction authors writing for New York City houses, only James Dashner, Ally Condie, Dean Hughes, and Janette Rallison started in the Mormon market. All of the rest published their first novels nationally. Next year Robison Wells will add to the number making that leap.

Before diving into the rest of the young adult/middle grade authors, mostly females, let’s look at some of the male speculative fiction authors. Brandon Sanderson has solidified his place as a leading figure in the world of fantasy, producing three books in 2010 and reaching the top of the bestseller lists. He achieved superstar status in 2009 with the publication of the first of his three books which make up the final chapter of the late Robert Jordan’s wildly popular Wheel of Time series. The second volume, Towers of Midnight, debuted at #1 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction list, and is one of the bestselling novels of the year. He also produced Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens, the fourth and final volume of his juvenile comic adventure series. Finally, he began a 10-part epic fantasy series of his own with the novel The Way of the Kings. A review in VOYA stated, “The Way of Kings offers fans of epic fantasy lush illustrations enhancing the story, a unique world with a variety of races, a complex historical background adding a good mix of clarity and confusion to the current story line, and a conflict with more shades of gray than black or white . . . A good mix of military action, political machinations, faith-based intrigue, and personal drama keep the pages turning.”

Orson Scott Card began a new time-travel trilogy with the YA novel Pathfinder. The epic novel mixes fantasy and science fiction tropes in a fascinatingly complex way. A starred review at Booklist said, “Card’s latest title has much in common with his Ender Wiggins books: precocious teens with complementary special talents, callously manipulative government authorities, endlessly creative worlds, and Card’s refusal to dumb down a plot for a young audience . . . Fast paced and thoroughly engrossing, the 650-plus pages fly by, challenging readers to care about and grasp sophisticated, confusing, and captivating ideas. As in L’Engle’s Time Quartet, science is secondary to the human need to connect with others, but Card does not shy away from full and fascinating discussions of the paradoxical worlds he has created.”

The first two volumes in Dan Wells horror/fantasy thriller John Cleaver series, which were released first in Britain, were published in the United States in 2010. They tell the story of a teenaged sociopath who struggles to direct his violent instincts towards constructive ends, and lie on the border between YA and adult horror. The second volume, Mr. Monster, was reviewed in the School Library Journal, “Intelligent, self-aware, observant, John is a unique protagonist who inspires fear or sympathy at any given moment. His battle for control over his own violent nature manages to trump the external demon dangers, which–in this compelling, quick-paced, and chilling read–is a definite feat.” Many reviews note that although the series contains elements of horror, it deals seriously with mental illness. Also, although there is violence, the first volume won a Whitney award in 2009, and I have seen many conservative Mormon bloggers write enthusiastically about the books, so apparently Wells has pulled off the impressive feat of writing truly scary, creepy horror novels, without offending at least some Mormon readers.

Two authors produced the fifth volumes of their respective fantasy series in 2010, Brandon Mull with the final book in his Fablehaven series, and James A. Owen with the fifth of his seven book Imaginarium Geographica series. Mull, who was published by Shadow Mountain, has been among the most popular Mormon fantasy authors of the past five years. He will begin a new series, published by Simon & Schuster, in 2011. Another YA veteran, Obert Skye, produced Choke, the second in his middle grade fantasy/humor Pillage trilogy.

A major genre for Mormon authors in the last few years has been the YA paranormal romance, with publishers obviously looking for the next Stephanie Meyer. In 2009 four Mormon authors, Becca Fitzpatrick, Aprilynne Pike, Bree Despain, and Lisa Magnum, produced the first volume of their respective paranormal romance series, and in 2010 they released the sequel. Each contains a young woman in danger, a bad-boy hero who turns out to be something other than a normal human (fallen angel, fairy, werewolf, time-traveller), a love triangle, and a fast-moving plot. Also, except for Magnum (whose work was ignored by national reviewers), each seemed to receive much harsher professional review for the second volume than the first, even though there was little difference between the quality of the first and second volumes. This was true for Twilight, and seems to be a trend in reviews for breakout genre series.

The most popular of the four is Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush series, about a girl and a fallen angel. Reviewers came down hard on the second volume, Crescendo. For example the review in VOYA claimed the novel felt “contrived”, and that it was a “overly long story with unlikable characters, a convoluted time frame, and contrived plot twists.” Many reviewers noted that the Fitzpatrick does an excellent job with the plot and action sequences, and, for good or ill, ratchets up the romantic tension well beyond a fever pitch. Several reviewers, however, have complained that she romanticizes the stalking behaviour of the male protagonist.

The first volume in Bree Despain’s werewolf The Dark Divine series received some strong notices for its unique (in national YA) emphasis on the stability the protagonist’s Christian faith gave her in the face of crisis. The second volume, The Lost Saint, was released very late in 2010, so not many reviews are in, but those that have come emphasize its derivative nature, and say it is darker and more action-centred than the first volume. Aprilynne Pike’s Spells, the second in the Wings series about a girl who discovers she is a fairy, has received mixed reviews, and apparently lower sales, in part because she slows down the plot for extended sections of fairy world-building. A positive review in Kirkus stated, “In clean, fresh prose, never wilting in momentum as some middle volumes do, this second instalment stays fragrant throughout . . . As in Wings, Pike brazenly codes physical deformity and asymmetry as evil, and her engagingly clear prose sometimes blunders into floridness . . . Among the current cornucopia of supernatural romances, though, this one blooms.” Lisa Magnum’s The Golden Spiral, the second volume in her time-travelling The Hourglass Door series, represented Shadow Mountain’s entry into the paranormal genre, and received good reader reviews.

One paranormal YA novel which stood out from the crowd in terms of originality and humor was Kiersten White’s debut novel Paranormalcy. Reviewers generally compared the tone of the book to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series, as it shared the basic idea of a girl trying to balance her supernatural job as a defender against paranormal creatures against her normal teenage life. Publishers Weekly wrote, “White shows the technique and polish of a pro in this absorbing romance, which comes closer than most to hitting the Buffy mark . . . The action is fast; fun and fear are in abundance.” Kirkus Review wrote, “Most of the fun of this novel is in the play between this imagined world and Evie’s desire for such normal teen amusements as dates, shopping and prom. Her first-person narration is light, but she’s appealingly determined . . . Good, romantic—and a little weird—entertainment.” Finally Stephanie Meyer, who helped to break the genre open, released a hardback novella The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, a spin-off from her novel Eclipse, focusing on a minor vampire character. Jana Reiss commented, “The novella’s pacing is brisk and the story interesting, despite the flatness of the main character.” The novella was the best-selling piece of fiction released in 2010 by a Mormon author.

Although not as hot (either in sales or romantic tension) as the paranormal genre, the “retold fairy tale”/magical fantasy genre remained a popular one for Mormon authors. These novels tend to skew to a younger female audience, and are written in a lighter style than the paranormal romances. Four authors, all of whom released novels in the genre in 2009, came back with new tales in 2010. Kirkus Review said Julie Berry’s romantic fantasy Secondhand Charm “teems with action, suspense and a bit of boy-next-door romance.” Berry also authored two middle grade graphic novels in 2010, illustrated by her sister, Sally Gardner. Jessica Day George’s take on the Cinderella story, Princess of Glass, was praised for its inventiveness and charm, although most said it was not up to the level of George’s best work. Mette Ivie Harrison’s The Princess and the Snowbird is the third in a series, and most reviewers said that it was their least favourite of the series. Harrison writes in a more lyrical and evocative style than most authors in the genre, which appears to have driven some readers off. Some complained that it suffered from lengthy and confusing exposition used to explain the magic system, which left many readers confused. Finally Shannon Hale, the leading Mormon author in this genre, produced the second in her series of graphic fairy tale novels, Calamity Jack, along with her co-author and husband Dean, and their illustrator Nathan Hale. It tells the continuing story of Rapunzel and Jack (of beanstalk fame). Publishers Weekly called it “a charming update of Jack and Beanstalk, set in a world that combines elements of fairy tales, a Gilded Age American city, and the Wild West . . . The dynamic artwork fits well with Jack and Rapunzel’s quick tongues, as they flirt their way through numerous hair-raising situations.”

After describing so many veteran authors’ works, I will turn my attention to a trio of debut middle grade fantasy authors, all of whom received excellent reviews. Leading the group is Sheila A. Nielson, a Children’s Librarian at the Provo City Library, and her novel The Forbidden Sea. Although the book features an endangered girl and her struggle with a mermaid, it differs from the YA paranormals in that the love interest is not a supernatural boy, and there is no opening for a sequel. The School Library Journal wrote, “The plot pacing is steady and suspenseful as more details about the protagonist’s current life and past are revealed through her absorbing first-person narration. Nielson’s new spin on a traditional fantasy setup is sure to appeal.” Matthew J. Kirby’s novel The Clockwork Three is a mixture of fantasy, adventure and steampunk, set in a mid-19^th-century alternative universe American city. Publishers Weekly wrote, “In this riveting historical fantasy . . . Kirby has assembled all the ingredients for a rousing adventure, which he delivers with rich, transporting prose. Mixing fantasy and steampunk elements with subtle urban mythology, Kirby’s immersive story can be read as a modern morality play or a satisfying stand-alone tale.” Other reviewers, however, noted that the novel’s coherence fell apart at the end, where a fantasy twist worked against the previous tone of the book. Lastly there is Jennifer A. Nielsen’s Elliot and the Goblin War, which is directed towards older elementary school and middle school readers. The School Library Journal wrote, “This lighthearted fantasy approaches the world of goblins, brownies, and demons with tongue planted firmly in cheek . . . The pacing is brisk, with short chapters to hold readers’ interest. The narrator has a gleefully odd (and occasionally sarcastic) sense of humor . . . . While the book doesn’t stand out in a crowded fantasy landscape, it will likely please young fans of the genre looking for something with a lighter mood.”

Next comes a quintet of non-fantasy young adult/middle grade novels. Carol Lynch Williams won both a Whitney Award and an AML Award for her harrowing 2009 YA novel The Chosen One. Williams went to an even darker place for her new novel, Glimpse. She took the courageous choice of writing the novel in free verse, from the unreliable perspective of a 12-year old girl, who with her sister suffered neglect and abuse. Booklist wrote, “Williams tells a brutal, gripping story through the veiled language of free verse, choosing her words and Hope’s memories with careful intent. Although the descriptions are not graphic, Williams leaves little doubt about Lizzie’s trauma, their mother’s role in her older daughter’s fate, and the lack of a perfect resolution to both girls’ pain. The unresolved ending is realistic, but it is hopeful, too, and it includes a tribute to caring friends and adults who struggle daily to rescue children from untenable situations.” Mormon reviewer Shelah Miner (Segullah) wrote, “This isn’t a book for readers who don’t want to read about hard things–the book opens with [an attempted] suicide . . . Although it is 496 pages long, I was able to read it in a single sitting, in the bathtub, all before the water grew cold. The length is deceptive, since each page of the book looks like a poem, with two or three words on a line. I’m not sure why Williams chose this format, but it works well. She chose her words with such care that the story felt rich and fully drawn, despite the spareness of her prose.”

Kristin Chandler received glowing reviews for her debut YA novel, Wolves, Boys, and Other Things That Might Kill Me, about a rural Montana high school journalist who defends the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone Park in the face of local opposition. Publishers Weekly wrote, “Chandler’s debut is a lively drama, saturated with multifaceted characters and an environmental undercurrent. She writes persuasively about the great outdoors, small town dynamics and politics, and young love.” The School Library Journal wrote, “The plot moves swiftly to a suspenseful finish. Beautifully written and thought-provoking, this well-rounded novel will appeal to girls, some boys, and conservationists of all stripes.”

Kimberly Griffiths Little’s middle grade The Healing Spell tells the story of a eleven-year-old Louisiana Cajun girl filled with guilt for her responsibility for her mother’s comatose state, and her attempt to obtain a healing spell from a local traiteur. Mormon reviewer Emily Milner wrote, “I loved the voice in this book, a combination of Cajun cadence and Livie’s twelve-year old angst. The setting felt real, and almost seemed like another character. And I felt like the healing, though not surprising, developed in a moving and tender way.”

Dean Hughes continues his middle grade series of novels about World War II-era boys with Missing in Action. It tells the story of a part-Navajo boy in Delta, UT whose father goes missing at the front. School Library Journal wrote, “Although serious issues of Native American prejudice, family violence, Japanese-American internment, and homophobia are raised, the story ends too idealistically and neatly.” Kirkus Review wrote, “Many forms of prejudice appear in the narrative, with thoughtlessness and injustice intertwined. Navajo spiritual elements combine with Jay’s Mormon faith in a delicate balancing act. Hughes manages to pull it all together for an ending that is touching and somewhat realistic. The plot serves the theme well, as events in Jay’s life are illustrated by multiple instances of bias. Subtle and engaging.”

Sarah Deford Williams’ debut middle grade novel Palace Beautiful is an old-fashioned mystery set in 1980s Salt Lake City, about a group of girls who discover a diary of the 1918 influenza epidemic. Publishers Weekly writes, “Williams’s vivid prose brings both worlds to life . . . Through moments of heartache and joy, Sadie’s strong, contemplative spirit shines through, as does the thrill of discovering a secret place of one’s one.”

I will briefly mention some romances to finish up the list of young adult/middle grade books. Lindsey Leavitt’s debut tween humor/fantasy romance Princess for Hire was consistently called “frothy fun” and “charming”. Veteran author Janette Rallison’s My Double Life about a young pop star’s double is called “good, clean ‘Pop Star and the Pauper’ fun”, and “a clean and enjoyable romp”. Angela Morrison’s Sing Me to Sleep was castigated for being sappy and moralistic. Children’s Literature wrote, “Readers will need to wade through plenty of heavy breathing, passionate kissing, and Beth’s doggerel song lyrics, yet the hopelessly romantic will savor every minute of this soap opera.”

Among adult romances, Lynn Kurland’s fantasy One Enchanted Evening, the story of a woman travelling in time to medieval England, is the most “Mormon friendly”, clean enough to be sold at Deseret Book. The books of best-selling vampire author Christine Feehan certainly are not, nor are those by Amanda Ashley, Carla Kelly, Brenda Novak, or ReAnne Thayne.

Popular adult inspirational authors Richard Paul Evans and Jason Wright produced two novels each in 2010, inspiring copious tears. The one of the four that looks the most interesting to me is Evans’ Christmas novel Promise Me, which features a bizarre science fiction twist at the end. Meanwhile, The Christmas Chronicles: The Legend of Santa Claus is the prose debut of the playwright Tim Slover. The fable of a 14^th century German woodworker who became Santa Claus was done as a radio drama on KBYU in 2009. Publishers Weekly writes, “This inspiring Christmas tale skilfully weaves various popular Christmas fables (the story of Rudolph being a notable inclusion) into a fresh story that retains an air of traditional folk tales while delivering an updated tweak on familiar stories. While the conflict is sporadic . . . the rest of the story is simply and sincerely entertaining.”

Outside of Brady Udall, the romances, and the inspirationals, the only other national market adult novels were Anne Perry’s The Sheen on the Silk and Glenn Beck’s The Overton Window. Perry left her familiar Victorian setting to write a historical novel set in Byzantium in 1271. Most reviewers said that while the historical aspects were fascinating the plot and characters were rather dull. Beck achieved best-seller status with his political thriller, but reviews were poor even when accounting for political bias on the part of reviewers, and Beck apparently only came up with the basic outlines of the plot, leaving the actual writing to collaborators.

I will end with a list of the best selling fiction books by Mormon authors for the year. The list is not scientific at all. I primarily used the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists, with some input from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Publishers Weekly. I am confident about the first five positions, after that it gets a little sketchy. I merged multiple paperback offerings by romance authors Christine Feehan and Amanda Ashley into single entries, because I wanted to. Books from before 2010 that have remained or reappeared on bestseller lists include Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight books, Jamie Ford’s Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Glenn Beck’s The Christmas Sweater, and Brandon Sanderson’s A Memory of Light.

Best Selling Novels by Mormon authors published in 2010

1. Meyer, Stephanie. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

(Amazon #18 bestselling novel of the year, USA Today #11 bestselling book of the year.)

2. Sanderson, Brandon and Robert Jordan, Towers of Midnight.

(New York Times Hardcover Fiction #1 for one week. Amazon #47 bestselling novel of the year.)

3. Beck, Glenn. The Overton Window.

(New York Times Hardcover Fiction #1 for one week. Amazon #71 bestselling novel of the year, USA Today #76 bestselling book of the year.)

4. Feehan, Christine. Dark Peril.

5. Feehan, Christine. Wild Fire and Water Bound (paperbacks).

6. Fitzpatrick, Becca. Crescendo.

7. Evans, Richard Paul. Promise Me.

8. Evans, Richard Paul. The Walk.

9. Condie, Allyson. Matched.

10. Sanderson, Brandon. The Way of the Kings.

11. Mull, Brandon. Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison.

12. Dashner, James. The Scorch Trials. (Note: Aprilynne Pike’s Spells is tied for 12th. See the comments below.)

13. Ashley, Amanda. Everlasting Kiss and Everlasting Desire (paperbacks).

14. Udall, Brady. The Lonely Polygamist.

15. Thayne, RaeAnne. A Cold Creek Secret.\ (paperback)

16. Card, Orson Scott. Pathfinder.

17. Kurland, Lynn. One Enchanted Evening

18. White, Kiersten. Paranormalcy

Books by Mormon authors from previous years which appeared on 2010 best-seller lists include all of Stephanie Meyer’s books, Richard Ford’s Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s The Gathering Storm, and Glenn Beck’s The Christmas Sweater.

Click here to view data on the number of books published per publisher from 2000-2009.

Recently I have been worried that the Church-owned sector of the LDS literary market (publishers Deseret Book, Shadow Mountain, and Covenant, and the bookstores Deseret Book and Seagull) were taking too much control of the market, squeezing the independent actors out. That remains a valid concern in terms of the ability of independent publishers getting shelf space or promotion space in the Church-owned bookstores.  Independent publishing has not dried up and blown away, however.  Just the opposite, independent publishers published more literary works in 2009 than in 2008, and the ranks of the independent publishers grew slightly. Together with a downtick in the number of titles published by the Church-owned publishers, the percentage of titles published by the independent publishers was 50% of the total works published in 2009. This returns the market to the equilibrium that existed for most of the decade before 2008, when a drop in independent publishing resulted in the Church-owned publishers producing 64% of the titles. Of course, the Church-owned publishers achieve sales of which the independents could never dream.  But I am glad to see that the independents have life in them.

With the downturn in the economy book sales in general are down, and that is true in the Mormon market as well. Several publishers reported to me, however that 2009 was a slightly better sales year than 2008.  I have heard from several authors who report that Mormon publishers are providing significantly less money for advertising, and are relying on and encouraging authors to do their own promotion.

Let’s run down the list of the publishing houses.  Deseret Book publishes novels with LDS characters/settings under the “Deseret Book” imprint, and books with no overt LDS content, presumably intended for the national market, under the “Shadow Mountain” imprint.  In 2009 Deseret Book published 18 novels, 13 of them by Shadow Mountain.  I discussed in the first part how Shadow Mountain has published a large number of young adult fantasy novels in the last few years, reaching a new high in 2009. The Deseret Book imprint, on the other hand, reached a new low, with only five new works. Just looking at the numbers, it would appear that Deseret Book is moving away from books with LDS characters.  Insiders have told me, however, that just the opposite is true.  Apparently Deseret Book feels that it has overextended its fantasy line, and intends to refocus on LDS-themed books it can sell in its own stores, thereby keeping a larger margin.  At least one of the fantasy authors has been told the second book in his series is not being picked up by Shadow Mountain, and Shadow Mountain has cut back on its promotion of the fantasy novels.  Also, the high percentage of Shadow Mountain books is somewhat misleading.  Except for the more successful fantasy novels (those by Brandon Mull, Obert Skye, and James Dashner) and James Wright’s books, Shadow Mountain does not appear to do much promotion beyond the Mormon corridor.

Covenant Communications was acquired by Deseret Book in December 2006. Kirk Shaw, an editor at Covenant, reports, “It’s been almost exactly three years since Deseret Book acquired us, and it has been a very pleasant road. Editorially, we run almost entirely as we did before the acquisition. Sheri Dew is our CEO and consults with our general manager often, but other than that, we rarely interact. I know some of the Deseret Book editors and authors and am on very friendly terms with them, considering them colleagues, and there is very little competition between the two companies. Very much so Covenant is like a national house imprint. We do focus on fiction with an LDS angle (and we don’t have nor plan to distribute nationally like Shadow Mountain).”  Covenant published 29 novels in 2009, down from 35 in 2008, but Shaw reported that there were no cutbacks, the dip was just a natural fluctuation, and the number of fiction titles would return to the low to mid 30s in 2010.  While Deseret Book/Shadow Mountain books have the natural advantage of the Deseret Book stores and tie-ins to the powerful “Time Out For Women” book club, Covenant reportedly does well at creative marketing.

There was considerable shake-up among the independent publishers in 2009. Some closed shop or were acquired, while new publishers emerged. Of the independent publishers, many complain privately that their books are sidelined in the Church-owned Deseret Book and Seagull chains, or kept out entirely.  Cedar Fort, Granite, Valor, and Walnut Creek have been able to place their books in the bookstores, but (as far as I can tell) Zarahemla, Parables, WiDo, and others have not.  Cedar Fort is the largest of the independent book publishers. Except for a temporary downturn in 2008, Cedar Fort has consistently published two novels a month for the last several years, and plans to continue this pattern in the future, despite the fact that non-fiction books make up the bulk of its sales. In 2008 it launched the Sweetwater Imprint for books that it thinks would do well in the national market as well as the Mormon market. Some non-Mormon authors publish at Cedar Fort.  Granite, the next most active publisher, has consistently produced novels of unremarkable literary value.

Spring Creek folded in early 2009, and Mapletree was acquired by WindRiver (both companies have published only non-fiction in the last two years). Two new publishers of mainstream Mormon fiction appeared in 2009, while another rechristened itself.  Valor Publishing Group was founded by Mormon author Candace E. Salima, with Mormon authors B.J. Rowley and Tristi Pinkston on the board. The Orem based company produced only one novel in 2009, but it was by Utah’s Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, a fortuitous way to kick of an enterprise.  The board is clearly positioning Valor as a house that can join the top ranks of Mormon publishers.  They have as many as 14 books scheduled for 2010, mostly genre novels (fantasy, adventure, and mystery). Salima has been outspoken in her belief that the current makeup of the government in Washington will bring America to ruins, so it is no surprise that Valor is planning two speculative fiction series, one by Salima and one by Gordon Ryan, which postulate a future America in chaos.  One board member told me, however, that books Valor publishes “must be respectful in nature, not written to slam the ideologies of other political parties but rather to uphold the beliefs espoused by the author.”

Another new press is WiDo Publishing, based in Salt Lake City, and run by Liesel Autrey, Kristine Princevalle, and Karen Gowen. Although it published a novel in 2007, only in 2009 did it become a serious house, releasing two novels and signing contracts with at least five authors to publish their novels in 2010, including Marilyn Brown. Another new name is Walnut Springs Press, although in this case it is not a truly new company, but rather a renaming of Leatherwood Press, a company that has existed since 2004.  Walnut Springs published five novels in 2009, as well as some non-fiction.

Zarahemla Books and Parables Publishing are both small operations which were founded in 2006 and are dedicated to producing serious literary works.  Both continued to publish in 2009, with Zarahemla, published by Chris Bigelow, looking especially strong. Zarahemla published three novels in 2009, all three of which are strong contenders for the best literary work of the year. It has a short story anthology, a theatrical anthology, and two short story collections on tap for 2010.  A new literary publisher is B10 Mediaworx, a Kansas City press run by Elizabeth Beeton, which publishes work which mixes earthiness, even sensuality, with depictions of spirituality. Beeton told me, “I want to publish works by more Mormon authors, if I find stories I like that don’t fit anywhere else. I also want to publish work by nonmembers who want some mixture of worldliness and their own spirituality that is risky and/or speculative. I’m not particular about faith, just that characters HAVE one and either try to live by it or respect it, even if they don’t. I mostly focus on romance with a spiritual twist.”  Among B10’s publications was the remarkable anthology The FOB Bible, a collection of short stories and poems based on the Old Testament.

Parables Publishing, BYU Press, and the Mormon journal Dialogue each produced poetry collections in 2009 (Mark D. Bennion’s Psalm & Selah: Book of Mormon Poems, Eliza R. Snow’s The Complete Poetry, and Mary Lythgoe Bradford’s Purple, respectively). Sunstone Magazine published the collection The Best of Mormonism, 2009 through its new imprint Curelom Books. Finally, Signature Books published no books in 2009, instead spending the year digitalizing its back catalogue.  With Zarahemla and the other literary presses successfully publishing “edgier” works, and considering how negative Signature editors have been about the prospects for Mormon fiction, I would be surprised to see them publish any more significant fiction in the near future.

This last month I surveyed a wide range of LDS publishers, authors, and reviewers, asking them about current trends and favorite books. I promised the authors (who are careful not to anger their peers) I would not reveal their individual favorites in this review.  From them, as well as from published reviews, I got a good idea of the best and bestselling Mormon market literary works published in 2009.

While no publisher gave me numbers, it appears that the bestselling novels of 2009 were historical fiction superstar Gerald Lund’s The Undaunted (Deseret), a massive take on the 1879 Hole-in-the-rock pioneers, and Anita Stansfield’s four romance novels (Covenant).  Close behind was Josi Kilpack’s Sadie Hoffmiller series of “cozy” mysteries, Lemon Tart and English Trifle (Deseret Book).  The series has received very strong reviews.  The mystery genre as a whole blossomed in 2009. Among the favourite “cozy” mysteries were Betsy Green’s Murder by the Book (Covenant) and Tristi Pinkston’s Agent in Old Lace (Cedar Fort).  Other mysteries or thrillers that received strong reviews (all of which were published by Covenant) are Traci Hunter Abramson’s hostage drama Lockdown, Stephanie Black’s tightly-plotted suspense novel Methods of Madness, Guy and Jeffrey Galli’s Middle Eastern spy/suspense novel Shadow Hunter, Jeni Grossman’s subtle and multi-dimensional tale of Islam and women in Turkey Missing Pieces, Jennie Hansen’s thriller Shudder, and Gregg Luke’s medical drama Altered States.

Historical fiction also remains a popular genre, as Gerald Lund’s continued success proves.  Another work which mined stories of the pioneers was David Farland’s highly regarded and emotionally powerful In the Company of Angels, a handcart company novel which Farland self-published.  Heather Moore mixes careful research and excellent storytelling in Alma (Covenant), the sixth of her popular Book of Mormon novels.  Outside of scriptural/pioneer stories, Sandra Grey’s World War II drama Tribunal (Covenant) won many fans. Jennie Hansen wrote, “Not only does this book tell a remarkable story, provide in depth historical insights, provide characters the reader can care deeply about, but it is rewarding to read a novel with such a rich vocabulary and almost no copy errors . . . I personally found this novel at the top of my list of mature and satisfying LDS novels.”

Two strongly reviewed historical fiction novels were designed to sell to the national market, and containing no LDS characters, but primarily were sold within the Mormon market.  G. G. Vandagriff’sThe Last Waltz (Shadow Mountain), a thick novel set in Vienna during the World Wars of the 20^th century, masterfully presented the clash in cultures, views, and personalities in that city. Vandagriff’s book was on perhaps more Mormon market “best books” lists of authors I surveyed than any other.  Jennie Hansen wrote, “Her characters are strong and likable, yet flawed in ways the reader can visualize and accept. The plot and theme carry brilliantly throughout the entire almost six hundred page novel without repetition or sags . . . The Last Waltz is a book to savor.”  Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff received generally good reviews for Am I Not a Man? (Valor), his novel about Dred Scott, the slave whose suit for freedom made it to the Supreme Court in 1857. Shurtleff won many over with his powerful and detailed retelling of a key moment in American history. Some reviewers noted, however, that the book sometimes read more like a history book than a novel.

While romance novels were not nearly as ubiquitous in the Mormon literary world as they have been in the past, they remain a key part of the market.  Reviewers almost invariably mentioned three authors as going beyond the expectations and limitations of the genre: Rachel Ann Nunes, Michele Paige Holmes, and Annette Lyon. Rachel Ann Nunes’ Saving Madeline (Shadow Mountain), about a female attorney’s partnership with an unpredictable father who is battling to protect his daughter from a drug-abusing mother, is regarded Nunes’ finest yet. Hansen wrote, “The story is gripping and will leave the reader squirming over the ethics questions.  The characters are expertly drawn, believable, and multi-faceted.”  Michele Page Holmes’ All the Stars in Heaven (Covenant) tells the story of a male Harvard law student and a female music student who is a virtual prisoner of her family.  Jennie Hansen commented that All the Stars in Heaven is one of those few romances “that approach the relationship between a man and a woman as one of friendship that grows to something more as mutual respect and knowledge of who the other is gradually develops . . . where realistic and deepening relationships grow out of common beliefs and values, respect, shared goals and experiences, and a willingness to sacrifice for each other, as well as the physical attraction component.”  Annette Lyon’s historical romance Tower of Strength (Covenant) uses the building of the Manti Temple as its setting. Many reviewers commented on Lyon’s strongly rendered characters and her ability to avoid cliché.  Other romance novels of note include Joyce Dipatista’s medieval romance Illuminations of the Heart (Walnut Springs), and rookie author Heather Justesen’s family drama The Ball’s In Her Court (Cedar Fort).  Cedar Fort published two comic “chick lit” romances that have received warm reviews—Aubrey Mace’s holiday themed Santa Maybe (Cedar Fort) and Elodia Strain’s marriage themed Previously Engaged.

In the National Market section I discussed the flood of young adult fiction published by Shadow Mountain. Cedar Fort also published three fantasy novels in 2009, although none of them made much of a splash.  The non-Shadow Mountain speculative novel that has received the most attention is a self-published one, Riley Noehren’s Gravity vs. the Girl. Described as “paranormal chic lit”, it tells of a woman who is followed by the ghosts of her former self.  Eric W. Jepson called it “the best comic novel I read this year,” Heather Moore wrote, “astonishing, thought-provoking novel. Funny, definitely quirky, but to fall-in-love with.”  Joan Sowards’ Haunts Haven (Walnut Springs), an “LDS Ghost Story” also received some positive attention.

Zarahemla Books continues to publish some of the finest Mormon literary of recent years. Zarahemla’s output in 2009 is remarkable in that the authors and protagonists are all men, a rarity in a market dominated by female readers and authors.  BYU professor Douglas Thayer, the dean of the Mormon literary world and sometimes called “The Mormon Hemingway,” has been enjoying a renaissance this last decade.  The latest in his series of well-received novels, The Tree House, tells the story of a Provo boy who experiences the death of his father, missionary work in post-war Germany, and war in Korea. BYU professor and author Elouise Bell wrote, “The Tree House ranks with The Red Badge of Courage in its creation of the ghastly bubble inhabited by a soldier in battle. Claustrophobic, electrified by panic, astonishingly intimate, Thayer’s chapters on war have a power we have not seen from him before. There is not a shred of moralizing here, yet the book nourishes the soul from start to finish.”  Another BYU professor, Richard Cracroft, wrote, “I’ve never read a better or more gripping treatment of men at war. Thayer’s characters and places are real; they are alive.”

Southern Utah University professor Todd Robert Petersen has written what I consider the best Mormon short stories of the last decade. His first novel, Rift, centers on a retired Sanpete County Mormon man who devotes his time to serving others, but also nurses a long standing feud with his bishop.  Brady Udall wrote, “What a pleasure to read the work of a writer who understands and can accurately portray the small, out-of-the-way parts of this world where honor, generosity, and sheer cussedness are still operative principles. Todd Petersen has written a funny and tough- minded account of a place where family, faith, and community still come first.”  Shelah, in Segullah, wrote, “Jens Thorsen is likely my very favorite character in Mormon fiction, including The Backslider’s Frank Windham, who reminds me in some ways of a very young Thorsen . . . I’ve read a lot of books about women in small towns banding together to fight ignorance (like this year’s The Help) and women in religious communities fighting gossip and small-mindedness (like The Ladies’ Auxiliary), but one of the things I love best about Rift is that it’s a book about close male friendships, and men engaged in good works. Petersen’s debut novel is a beauty, and Jens Thorsen is a character who will stay in my mind, and make me think twice about the people who live in the small towns of rural Utah as I speed past them on my way to Bryce or Zion.”

Jonathan Langford’s No Going Back breaks important new ground in Mormon fiction: a honest but recognizably “Mormon” dipiction of male homosexuality. Author and WiDo editor Karen Jones Gowen wrote, “I found No Going Back to be a deeply spiritual, faith-affirming story that is neither contentious nor agenda-driven. In fact, it’s a refreshingly honest look at all sides of this issue. Paul’s dilemma and his subsequent pondering of what this means for his life now and in the future touched my heart and soul . . .  The character development is incredible. Read it if only to see the artistry with which Langford creates his cast of players. Even minor characters come to life on the page . . . No Going Back is a fast read, even quite funny in places. I could hardly put it down. It is richly layered and complex, thought-provoking and heart-wrenching, a finely written tale of depth and meaning.”  Reviewer William Morris wrote, “By telling the story simply, tying it to a particular time and place, and focusing on the teenage protagonists, Langford is able to confine the discussion of this issue to a manageable narrative—and a compelling one. The approach Langford takes is genius. I love the way he threads the middle of American Mormon mores, doctrine, and practice in a way that is in some senses mundane—this is basically a domestic drama—but also incredibly radical . . . Any discussion of same-sex attraction makes a lot of Mormons uncomfortable. But the novel is thoroughly orthodox. Its characters are orthodox Mormons. Its tensions and ultimate solutions and resolutions are firmly rooted in active LDS life—prayer, scripture study, repentance, the priesthood, love, charity, hope, the family.”

I have enjoyed the few of these books that I myself have read, and look forward to reading several more.  I hope you will do the same.

The story of the year in nationally published literature by Mormons was the memoir.  Two Mormon women, Elna Baker and Kathryn Lynard Soper produced honest and interesting life stories, to excellent reviews. While other Mormon authors sold more books, few other nationally published author made their Mormonism so central to their story.  Other big stories for the year include Stephanie Meyer’s continued dominance of the fiction landscape, Brandon Sanderson’s rise to the top of best seller’s lists, and the continuing flood of young adult speculative fiction.

Elna Baker’s comic memoir, The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance, can be seen as filling a niche that has long been open in the Mormon cultural world: our own My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  That is, a funny, honest, but not angry look at a Mormon life which non-Mormons can equally appreciate. Baker’s tale of her life in New York City is certainly not a typical Mormon one, but her Mormonism is one of the two forces that pull her in opposite directions throughout the work. Those rooting for Baker to take one side or another will be frustrated all the way to the end. Baker, still a very young woman, does not hold back in showing herself in moments (or even years) of shallowness and stupidity. But this Mormon reader appreciated her ability to show her faith in God acting as an anchor which kept her from making the worst mistakes.  Other readers might say it is the anchor which pulled her down, never letting her enjoy the possibilities life handed her.  Mormonism seems to have its strongest impact on Baker through the love and example of her family, and its theological teachings about the eternity. She has less use for Mormon society and practices, and often makes them the butt of her jokes. Most of the book is “cute-funny” rather than hilarious, although how can you be honest and make your whole life hilarious? Still, there are a couple of stand-out moments—the FAO Schwartz section and the failed Halloween costume, both of which she has used in her stand-up act.  Eric Jepson wrote a fantastic review of the work on A Motley Vision. Here is another review I like, from “Pajiba,” an on-line reviewer.  “What I appreciated most about TNYRMSHD is that it’s funny without being insulting. Baker pokes fun at a weird culture and weird beliefs while giving sincere reasons why she stays around. She’s walking a fine line between wanting to belong to the regular world, but also wanting to feel the peace she finds in religion. It’s hard to express why you believe in God without getting cheesy and overly sacrosanct, but Baker manages to do it. Probably because it’s sandwiched between moments of trying to lose her virginity and finding out she unknowingly used amphetamines to lose weight, but it works for me. My experience is that you find God in the weirdest of places, and it was nice to read that someone else finds that, too.”

Kathryn Lynard Soper already had an impact on Mormon literature through her editing of the print and online magazine Segullah. Her 2009 memoir The Year My Son and I Were Born: A Story of Down Syndrome, Motherhood, and Self-Discovery is a more serious work than Baker’s, but also honestly portrays lessons learned in an unsparing and unflattering light.  It is as much about Soper’s postpartum depression as it is about her experience with Down Syndrome. Steve Peck wrote, “Kathryn has to rewrite much of the script she had penned for her life. This readjustment is hard work and she faces it with confusion, dismay and depression. That’s why this book is so important. She (according to our expectations set by Ensignesque stories) should be facing it with courage, determination, and faith that all is according to God’s plan. But that is not how it plays out in the book. She takes us to the trenches of how it feels to face this sort of life’s rewriting without suggesting that it all turns out OK in the end or that she has figured it all out.”

While remarkable, both of these works are relatively straightforward memoirs.  BYU professor Patrick Madden, on the other hand, has been producing a series of postmodern, fragmentary nonfiction tales, several of which have been nationally honoured. His first collection of his writings, Quotidiana, will be published by the University of Nebraska Press in early 2010.  An example of Madden’s writing can be found in The Best of Mormonism, 2009, a collection of short stories, poems, essays, and book chapters published from 2007-2009. The collection, which includes selection originally published in both Mormon and national forums, is based on Houghton Mifflin’s Best American series. Brittney Carman is another rising creative nonfiction author whose work appears in The Best of Mormonism. Carman is working on a memoir about her mission in Venezuela and her reconciliation with her estranged father. Finally, another notable memoir is Shattered Silence by Melissa Moore and M. Bridget Cook, published by Cedar Fort.  Moore tells her story of growing up the daughter of a serial murderer, and her eventual decision to face up to her memories and history. Moore received some attention from appearing on the Dr. Phil and Oprah Winfery shows, and her book was Cedar Fort’s best seller for 2009.

In terms of sales, Stephanie Meyer continued to dominate the fiction market in 2009, despite the fact that she released no new titles. According to USA Today she sold 22 million books in 2009, down from 29 million in 2008. To put that in perspective, Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, the biggest-selling new book of 2009, has sold 4 million copies in the four months since its publication.  USA Today also declared Twilight, the first volume of her vampire series, to be the bestselling book of the decade, with New Moon at 4^th and Eclipse at 9^th.  Meyer’s success, following the smaller scale success of Orson Scott Card a generation earlier, has inspired and influenced a raft of LDS authors. The overwhelming majority of nationally published LDS authors are producing speculative fiction.

Two LDS authors reached #1 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction list, Brandon Sanderson and Christine Feehan. Brandon Sanderson, whose adult and young adult fantasy novels had received strong critical acclaim and moderately good sales, became a central figure in the fantasy world when he was hired to complete A Memory of Light, the final volume of the late Robert Jordan’s monumental 12-part Wheel of Time series in December 2007.  Tying up the loose ends of the huge series turned out to be a longer job than Sanderson and his publisher originally thought, so by March 2009 they announced that they were splitting the book into three instalments. Jordan produced 50,000 words for the book before his death, and Sanderson expects the trilogy will end up being over 800,000 words long.  The first volume, The Gathering Storm, was released in November, and has been well received by Jordan’s fans and the fantasy community in general.  Many reviewers commented that they enjoyed Sanderson’s volume more than most of the Jordan’s later volumes. Zack Handlen in the Onion AV Club wrote: “Sanderson’s prose lacks some of the descriptive punch of Jordan’s, his dialogue doesn’t always stick the landing between melodramatic and florid, and the one-note gender politics remain largely intact. Fortunately, Storm compensates with a terrific sense of urgency and a blessed willingness to tie up loose ends.”

Paranormal-romance author Christine Feehan accomplished the remarkable trick of reaching the #1 position of a New York Times Bestseller list 4 times in one year. That’s right, she produced four different books, each of which reached a #1 position.  Murder Game, Burning Wild, and Hidden Currents each reached #1 on the Mass-market Paperback Fiction list, while Dark Slayer achieved #1 on the Hardback Fiction list.  Furthermore, her novel Street Game, released in the last week of 2009, reached #1 on the Mass-market Paperback Fiction list in the first week of 2010.  I wonder how many times in history an author has had a run like that?  Romance authors Lynn Kurland, Amanda Ashley, and Brenda Novak also had books that appeared on bestseller lists.

As I mentioned above, the flood of LDS authors publishing speculative fiction for the national market continues to rise. The majority of these authors are writing young adult fantasy.  Shadow Mountain, Deseret Book’s national imprint, is playing a significant part in this rise, publishing young adult fantasy novels by seven LDS authors in 2009.  There were just as many publishing outside of Shadow Mountain.  One trend, certainly tied to Stephanie Meyer’s success, is the genre of “girl-meets-boy-who-may-or-may-not-be-dangerous-and-supernatural” novels.  The debut novels by Becca Fitzpatrick, Aprilynne Pike, and Lisa Mangum are in that genre. The closest in tone to Meyer is Becca Fitzpatrick’s thriller, Hush, Hush, about a teenage girl who falls for a boy who turns out to be a fallen angel, and the subsequent battle between good and bad angels.  The striking cover itself should win over a large segment of the Twilight crowd. Kirkus review wrote, “A fast-paced, exhilarating read . . . Twilight readers will either squeal over the forbidden romance between Nora and Patch and the steamy scenes they generate or sigh over another helpless young woman torn between sexuality and fear and threatened and manipulated by males who play with her vulnerability.” Hush, Hush reached #5 on the New York Times Children’s Chapter Books Bestseller list, and was named one of Barnes & Nobles’ “Best 20 Teen Books of 2009”.

Even more successful book in terms of sales is Aprilynne Pike’s Wings, the story of an seemingly ordinary girl who discovers she is a faerie, and is thrust into an ancient battle between faeries and trolls. The novel reached #1 on the New York Times Children’s Chapter Books Bestseller list, and has been optioned to Disney for a movie deal.  Reviewers have praised Pike for an inventive take on a generally tired genre (in her version the faeries are a kind of plant, and the biological explanations are quite inventive), and her silky prose, although she has also taken some hits for the characters’ lack of depth and overly idealized physical descriptions.  Lisa Mangum, an editor at Deseret Book, produced The Hourglass Door, the story of a (you guessed it) high school girl who meets an Italian foreign exchange student, only to find out that he is from the 16^th century.  The reviewer at School Library Journal wrote, “This novel has an exciting premise and moves along at a brisk pace. Unfortunately, the supporting characters are all caricatures of high school students, Abby and Dante have very little real chemistry, and the dialogue is stilted and frequently either clichéd or superfluous.”

There were four middle-grade novels, directed towards girls, which call to mind the “revisionist fairy tale” mode of Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted. Julie Berry’s debut novel, the fairy-tale The Amaranth Enchantment, was published to a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly, and this from Kirkus Reviews: “A lively, quick, stylish, engaging first novel with some lovely, familiar fairy-tale elements . . . will enthral young readers—who probably won’t care that some of the magic is a little wobbly.” Mette Ivy Harrison’s The Princess and the Bear, a sequel, tells the story of a King turned into a bear, and a princess turned into a hound. Kirkus, in a starred review, wrote, “The relationships between animal and human, and the magic in being both, are exquisitely delineated, and the love story between the two strong protagonists is all the more powerful for being intensely restrained. There’s a fair amount of bloodshed and violence, but that, too, is understated. Not for every reader, but an absorbing tale for the right one.”  Jessica Day George’s Princess of the Midnight Ball is a take on the Grimm Brothers story “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” set in 19^th century Europe. The review at Kirkus called it “a rich and engaging novel . . . near the end the story spirals up in intensity, touching on witchcraft and evil clerics along the way before a satisfyingly exciting conclusion.” (George also produced Dragonspear, the third in her dragon series).  Finally, the finest LDS author in the genre, Shannon Hale, offered Forest Born, the fourth novel in her Bayern series, moving forward with the enchanting characters first introduced in The Goose Girl. The Horn Book wrote, “All is told in Hale’s assured voice, drawing the details of her invented countries with precision and depth. Strong characters define the series: commanding Isi, passionate Enna, wily Razo, and now shadowed Rin . . . fans will need no excuse to dive back into Hale’s fantasy world.”

Next is a trio of male authors writing young adult speculative fiction. Brandon Sanderson produced Alcatraz versus the Knights of Crystallia, the third in his comically arch Alcatraz series. The books all feature a strongly intrusive narrative voice, which plays up fantasy tropes for humorous effect.  School Library Journal wrote, “Alcatraz frequently ‘breaks page’ to address readers with side comments, instructions, and, occasionally, complaints and insults . . . The rather complicated plot can be challenging to follow, but beneath the wild humor there are surprisingly subtle messages about responsibility and courage.” James Owen also mixes humor and complex time travelling in The Shadow Dragons, the fourth in his Imaginarium Geographica series. Finally, James Dashner created a dark, dystopian science fiction novel, The Maze Runner, the first in a Delacorete series, in which young boys are placed into a giant maze, and forced to fight for their lives, a concept very similar to Suzanne Collins’ popular The Hunger Games. Kirkus named The Maze Runner as one of the best young adult books of 2009, and Barnes and Noble declared it one of the “Best 20 Teen books of 2009”.  Dashner also released The Hunt for Dark Infinity, the second in his lighter, younger 13^thReality series for Shadow Mountain.  A Kirkus review stated, “Readers will be as puzzled as the characters, who tumble from one complex and outrageous situation to the next, rescued from each at the last minute–sometimes with no explanation. But it all holds together remarkably well, encouraging suspension of disbelief to make way for glorious flights of imagination.”

As mentioned above, Shadow Mountain published young adult fantasy novels by seven LDS authors in 2009.  Besides Magnum and Dashner, there was Brandon Mull (the bestseller of the group, his Fablehaven series reached #6 on the New York Times Children’s Series list), Mark Forman (although Shadow Mountain decided not to publish his next novel), M’Lin Rowley (the 16-year old author produced two short children’s novels), J. Scott Savage (reviews of the second novel in his Farworld series, nearly all positive, invariably include the words “complex” and “fast-paced”), and Obert Skye (with the fifth and final volume of his popular Leven Thumps series).

So, 15 authors writing fantasy, is there any room for anything else for young people?  A little.  Three LDS women produced serious young adult novels with contemporary settings.  Ann Dee Ellis and Carol Lynch Williams (who are friends and co-bloggers) both created emotionally devastating accounts of young women in terribly dysfunctional families. Ann Dee Ellis’ Everything is Fine, like her previous novel, is told in an elliptical, impressionistic way (often in free verse), from the perspective of a young person who only gradually informs the reader of the tragedy which dominates her life. The teenage protagonist is trying to keep her life together while her severely depressed mother falls into catatonia, and her father absents himself. Carol Lynch Williams, one of the veterans of the field, received a tsunami of praise for her latest novel, The Chosen One, about Kyra, a 13-year old girl living in a particularly repressive and isolated polygamous sect.  Just as Kyra begins to get a sense of the outside world through the books she surreptitiously borrows from a bookmobile driver, the Prophet announces that the she must become the seventh wife her cruel uncle.  Jessica Bruder in the New York Times wrote, “Williams’s . . . spare, evocative writing and an honest sense of character helps bridge the rift between Kyra’s world and ours.” Publisher’s Weekly, in a starred review, wrote, “Although the ending verges on the sensational, Williams takes such care in crafting Kyra’s internal struggles—and her hellacious story—that the ensuing drama rings true. Williams’s highlighting all aspects of cult membership (fear of leaving, desire to belong, guilt about sinning), rather than relying on one-sided generalizations (cults are bad), makes this a prudent and powerful read.”  The novels of Ellis and Williams have stuck with me long after I have forgotten most fantasy novels.  Despite the hell they put me through, Ellis and Williams are my favourite authors of LDS young adult fiction (outside of Shannon Hale).

The third contemporary young adult novel of the year was newcomer Angela Morrison’s romance Taken by Storm, which tells the story of a Mormon girl, the summer before going to BYU, falling in love with a non-Mormon boy. It mines (without the humor) some of the same topics that Elna Baker pursued in her memoir—how much passion can one allow in a relationship before marriage and what problems will arise in a relationship outside of one’s religion? Although the author has stated that she hopes that the book can serve as a kind of fictional Standards Night, it is steamier than would be allowed in the Mormon publishing world. Publishers Weekly wrote, “By contrasting Leesie and Michael’s often opposing backgrounds and points of view, she handles the topics of religion and premarital sex gracefully without passing judgment. The message has less to do with religion than learning to respect and cherish others while staying true to one’s own beliefs.”

Here are some humorous novels before we leave the young adult world. Janette Rallison produced two novels for girls in 2009, My Fair Godmother for middle readers, and Just One Wish for older teens. The first features a bumbling teen fairy godmother who accidently sends a high school girl back in time into the stories of Snow White and Cinderella.  The second is about a girl tries to help her seriously ill younger brother by brining a teen TV star to visit. Both have been highly rated for their comic moments, although the second is anchored at its core by the believable and heartrending relationship between the sister and brother. Dene Low (a pseudonym for Lara Card) wrote Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone: The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival, a short, frothy first novel for middle readers. Set in Edwardian London, Petronella’s coming-out party is ruined by insects and a kidnapping.  The review at School Library Journal commented, “What follows is part farce, part mystery, part political thriller, all told in Petronella’s upper-crust voice, laced with sly humor, many bodice-ripping observations of James’s virile charms, and a painless dose of history. Archetypical characters are skillfully drawn, time and place are clearly evoked, and excitement and intrigue abound amid the hilarity.”  Booklist added, “This wonderful little gem is a wacky mix of Jane Austen, Sherlock Holmes and Jack Gantos at his bizarre best… I adored this book from its enticing start to the end that dangles the promise of more adventures. (Please!) First novelist Low has created a memorable set of characters in her witty and wonderfully weird first novel.”

On to adult novels.  Shannon Hale, whose young adult and graphic novels have been rapturously received, has had a harder time winning an audience for her two novels for adults.  In her most recent, The Actor and the Housewife, Hale for the first time creates a Mormon character and includes Mormonism as a key aspect of the novel.  The novel centers on the far-fetched premise of a famous British actor could become a warm platonic friend with a Mormon housewife.  The reviewer in Kirkus writes, “They engage in the kind of witty repartee that hasn’t been heard since Carole Lombard graced the screen, and become bosom buddies . . . The odd, safe fantasy Hale has created is then jangled by a more sober realism. Husband Mike (spoiler deletion), and the domestic bliss Becky has enjoyed comes to a crushing end. Becky’s devotion to her husband, her depression, her inability to see a romantic future for herself-all these elements ring true and tragic. Unfortunately, the novel hinges on Felix and Becky’s relationship, and aside from a mutual love of quick-witted banter, their friendship is largely unbelievable. Hale’s prose is friendly and funny, but she doesn’t bring her premise to life.” This appears to be a real love it or hate it book, reader reviews on both sides have been quite fierce. A favourite complaint is that the character of the husband is poorly drawn, and Hale does not do enough to show why Becky is so devoted to him.

Jamie Ford’s debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, is a mix of historical fiction and Nicholas Sparks-like romantic sentimentality. It tells the story of a Chinese-American in Seattle, alternating between his childhood in the early 1940s and his recent widowed state in 1984.  It has received strong reviews for its heartfelt portrayal of racism towards and between Asian-Americans, particularly the fate of a close Japanese-American girl friend, whose family is interned by the American government after Pearl Harbor. Booklist wrote, “Although Ford does not have anything especially novel to say about a familiar subject (the interplay between race and family), he writes earnestly and cares for his characters, who consistently defy stereotype.” The novel reached #16 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction list, and #13 on the Trade Paperback list later in the year.

Other bestselling books in 2009 were Anne Perry’s William Monk novel Execution Dock, and two Christmas books: Richard Paul Evans’ The Christmas List and Jason F. Wright’s Christmas Jars Reunion. Glenn Beck’s The Christmas Sweater (which was co-written with Jason F. Wright), from 2008 appeared on bestseller lists for the second Christmas season in a row, and a children’s illustrated version of the story also sold well.

I will end this section with adult speculative fiction. Orson Scott Card’s Hidden Empire continues my least favourite Card series ever (but still a pretty good read). Steven L. Kent and David Farland have added new volumes to their extended Clone and Runelords series. Brandon Sanderson (yes, this is the third novel of his I have mentioned) produced the fine stand-alone work Warbreaker. Sanderson’s friend Dan Wells has received rave reviews for the comic horror novel I Am Not a Serial Killer, but it has so far only been released in the United Kingdom.  John Brown, who has had a few short stories published over the last decade, received strong praise for his first fantasy novel, Servant of a Dark God. Like Sanderson and Farland, Brown creates a high fantasy with a complex magic system that is robust, bounded and physical.  The review in Library Journal states, “Brown creates an elaborate new world with a rich and deep spiritual and political background . . . this well-wrought tale of families in conflict against both politics and religion represents a welcome addition to large-scale fantasy.” Mormon reviewer Jennie Hansen, normally not a fan of fantasy, wrote, “Servant of a Dark God is a compelling, complicated novel written in a misleadingly simple style. As in the highest quality literary writing, there are lines and references that bring other great works to mind without actually quoting them.”

Part III: Poetry and Short Fiction

I am aware of two major poetry collections published by Mormon authors in 2008. Neil Aitken’s debut collection, The Lost Country of Sight, won the Philip Levine Prize for Poetry. Aitken, a graduate of BYU, is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Southern California. C. G. Hanzlickek, a judge for the Levine Prize, wrote, “It’s difficult to believe that Neil Aitken’s The Lost Country of Sight is a first book, since there is mastery throughout the collection. His ear is finely tuned, and his capacity for lyricism seems almost boundless. What stands out everywhere in the poems is his imagery, which is not only visually precise but is also possessed of a pure depth. The poems never veer off into the sensational; they are built from pensiveness and quietude and an affection for the world. ‘Travelling Through the Prairies, I Think of My Father’s Voice’ strikes me as a perfectly made poem, but poems of similar grace and power are to be found throughout the book. This is a debut to celebrate.”

The second poetry collection is BYU professor Kimberly Johnson’s second collection, A Metaphorical God. The collection won a prize from the Utah Arts Council in 2004, and a prestigious NEA grant.  Poet Linda Gregerson, in a cover blurb, wrote, “She’s a polyphonic prestidigitator, a virtuoso of the vibrant heart, and-stunning in our fallen world-a genuine metaphysician, with all the healing aptitude the word implies.” A reviewer at Midwest Book Review wrote, “Seeking to combine the divine with the sensual, Johnson’s verse is as thought provoking as it is sexually titillating, creating a strange and delightful blend indeed.”

Three Mormon authors had short stories published in prestigious literary journals in 2008.  Ryan McIlvain’s debut story, “Keep it Bible,” as story about Mormon missionaries in Brazil, appeared in The Paris Review.  McIlvain, a recent BYU graduate, is currently working on a MFA at Rutgers.  Stephen Tuttle had two stories published, “Amanuensis” in Hayden Ferry’s Review, and “The Two Mr. Greens” in Black Warrior Review. Tuttle is a young writer who recently was hired by the BYU English Department.  PD Mallamo’s “Sign of the Gun,” about a drug runner who saves a Mormon woman from bandits, appeared in an on-line version of Granta.

I have already mentioned Orson Scott Card’s 2008 short story collection, Keeper of Dreams. Card has also done a service to Mormon speculative fiction authors by publishing four of them in his online magazine, Orson Scott Card’s Intergalatic Medicine Show. Among those authors was the prolific story author Eric James Stone, who published three stories in Card’s magazine, as well as a story in the prestigious science fiction magazine Analog.

Irreantum and Dialogue published seven short stories each in 2008. I enjoyed many of the stories. Among the most memorable were Darin Cozzens’ “Reap in Mercy” (Irreantum, 2008), Joshua Foster’s “The Newlyweds” (Dialogue, Summer 2008), Jack Harrell’s “Calling and Election” (Irreantum, 2008), and Larry T. Menlove’s “Who Brought Forth This Christmas Demon” (Dialogue, Fall 2008). Cozzens teaches at Surry Community College. Harrell teaches at BYU-Idaho, and has a new collection of stories forthcoming from Signature Press. Foster, a former student of Harrell’s, recently received an MFA in writing from the University of Utah, and edits an online journal of environmental writing. Menlove is currently working on a novel about an isolated Mormon community where an apocalyptic scare leads to mayhem.

I usually do not cover creative non-fiction in this essay, but I do want to mention that young BYU English Department faculty member Patrick Madden has had a string of essays and other non-fiction works published in literary journals over the past few years. In 2008 one of his essays was republished in Norton’s annual anthology The Best Creative Nonfiction.

Andrew Hall’s Mormon Literature Year in Review — Part II: Mormon market books

Click here to view data on the number of books published per publisher from 2000-2008.

There was a slight drop in the number of fiction books published by Mormon publishing houses in 2008, from 94 in 2007 to 86 in 2008. The dip was due largely to a decrease in the number of books published by independent publishers, such as Cedar Fort, the third largest publisher. Covenant and Deseret Book, which are now both owned by the Church, published slightly more novels in 2008 than they did in 2007. As a result, the Covenant/Deseret Book combination published 65% of the novels in the Mormon market in 2008. That is up from 56% in 2007, and around 50% in the five years before that.  I have heard from some independent publishers that Deseret Book’s bookstore division makes it difficult for them to get even standard Mormon-themed novels onto their shelves. That is a very disconcerting trend.  In any case, it is a good bet that the total number of Mormon fiction titles will go down again in 2009, because of the dip in the economic outlook.

The one independent publisher working against the trend is Leatherwood Press, a new actor in the Mormon fiction market based in Sandy, Utah. Leatherwood was founded in late 2004 by former Deseret and Doubleday editor Timothy Robinson with business partner Garry Mitchell. In its first years Leatherwood focused on self-help and children’s picture books, among others. It published its first four fiction titles in 2008. Among those was Anna Jones Buttimore’s Easterfield, a romance and missionary novel set in England in 1850. Jeannie Hansen, at Meridian Magazine, wrote, “The story is set in the same time period as the Bronte sisters’ books, though the style is lighter and more reminiscent of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice . . . This is a tight, well-written story with charming, versatile characters and a plot that flows smoothly. Readers of Buttimore’s earlier books found them thought-provoking, but the pacing a little slow. This book is also thought-provoking, but is paced just right for a highly satisfying read. It also has moments of delightful humor. Careful attention is given to the customs, prejudices, and manners of the time period.”  Leatherwood also picked up Joyce DiPastena’s Loyalty’s Web, which had previously appeared as a self-published novel, and was nominated for a Whitney Award in the Romance/Women’s Fiction category.

I have great hope for two independent Mormon publishers who specialize in more adventurous literary titles, Zarahemla Books, owned by Chris Bigelow, and Parables Publishing, owned by Elizabeth Bentley. Zarahemla published six literary works in 2006-2007, nearly all of which received considerable critical support. Bigelow has told me that he became busy with free-lance work in 2008, and was able to publish only one novel, Eugene Woodbury’s Angel Falling Softly. Bigelow has several projects lined up for 2009, however, including new novels by Douglas Thayer and Todd Robert Petersen, and perhaps an anthologies of Mormon short fiction and Mormon theatre.

Woodbury’s Angel Falling Softly created a great deal of conversation among Mormon reviewers, who either loved or hated the book. A horror/fantasy, it tells the story of a Utah Mormon family reeling from a daughter’s life-threatening illness. The mother discovers a mysterious neighbour woman is a vampire. William Morris at A Motley Vision wrote, “What’s remarkable about Angel Falling Softly isn’t just that Eugene does something new with vampire tropes . . . or that he provides a complex, touching portrait of a Mormon mother desperately trying to save her terminally ill child. It’s that he weaves these elements together with well-deployed literary (often Biblical) allusions and quotations that add substance to the questions raised about belief, redemption, desire, sin and death. The novel is insistently literary while being solidly genre-based. Sounds pretty cool, right? And yet what most amazed me is that he pulls it all off without violating the supernatural and metaphysical boundaries of Mormonism or of the vampire genre. Which is not to say that the story is believable – it’s fantasy – but rather that by enforcing (and pushing against) these boundaries, he plays the two worlds against each other in way that maximizes reading pleasure and says something new about the Mormon experience.”  Doug Gibson of the Ogden Standard-Examiner wrote, “[It] may surprise LDS readers looking for genre fiction. There are a few erotic, semi-explicit sex scenes. They’re not distasteful though. The erotic passion in Woodbury’s tale underscores the desperation of the two protagonists, Milada and Rachel . . . Passion and the supernatural are writing strengths for Woodbury. Unfortunately, a tendency to indulge in minutiae may weary readers. Much of “Angel Falling Softly” is devoted to an attempted takeover of a medical research film. Financial detail after financial detail is recounted. There’s nothing wrong with the writing and the financial subplot is integral to the tale, but it slows the pace of the main plot of Milada and Rachel conspiring to keep Jennifer alive.” Several Mormons with conservative tastes have written that they were offended or put off by the descriptions of sex in the book, but others have said Woodbury presented the sex in a tasteful way, appropriate to the plot of the book.

Parables Publishing produced only one novel in 2008, Angela Hallstrom’s Bound on Earth. I have not heard of any upcoming works in the pipeline for Parables, so I am not as sure of their immediate future as I am of Zarahemla. Their one novel, however, was excellent, one of the finest Mormon literary works I have ever read.  Levi Peterson wrote, “It is the history of an extended Mormon family. Composed of vignettes, the novel advances from the present into the future, retreats momentarily to the past, or works laterally to include nearly simultaneous episodes. The point of view shifts deftly among a widowed grandmother, her son and daughter-in-law, their three daughters and their husbands. The style is strong and functional, unerring in its cadence and nicely balanced between the formal and the colloquial. The subtle background to this novel is the Mormon world view, established without preaching or assumptions of superiority. But it presents a far from idealized vision of reality. By moments the members of this extended family writhe with conflict, tension, depression, self-pity, and misbehavior. The attempts of the strong willed mother to guide and intervene often disrupt rather than heal. Her husband nearly succumbs to the veiled allurement of a seductive sister in their ward. A teen aged daughter conceives a baby out of wedlock. Another daughter is distraught by the birth of a fourth son, deeply disappointed that she has not at last borne a daughter. Yet another daughter marries-and determines to stay with-a bi-polar husband who periodically lapses into abuse. Yet ultimately their underlying bond with one another-their willingness to affirm whoever claims a place among them-triumphs. Though bound on earth, this is a family that will endure in eternity.” Jennie Hansen wrote, “Many of the stories or incidents in the book are somewhat depressing, yet the overall scope of the book is one of hope and faith in the family’s ability to endure. It is a strong reminder that every family is tested in this life in various ways . . . Hallstrom’s style is simple and direct, yet as much of the story appears between the lines as in the printed words. Hallstrom displays a strong literary bent in her ability to get the most from words and to evoke deep human emotions. Her characters are not stereotypical, yet they evoke a sense of ‘Everyman.’ The characters are the story and there’s very little actual plot. I thoroughly recommend this book to all who are looking for deeper literary meaning in their fiction and a slight journey off the beaten path.”  I adored the book-loved the characters, loved the writing, and loved the tone.  She combines the traditionally Mormon themes of faith and family with literary excellence. For that, she could be one of the great authors of Mormon fiction in the coming years. Hallstrom is also the editor of the Mormon literary journal Irreantum, which gives her a certain degree of literary clout in the field.

Covenant published 35 novels in 2008, which has been about the norm there since 2003. The most popular Covenant author for the last decade has been romance author Anita Stansfield, who produced three novels in 2008.  Covenant has also published many thrillers (usually with a strong romance angle), and historical fiction based on ancient scripture.

In the category of thrillers, among the best reviewed books were Traci Hunter Abramson’s spy novels Free Fall and Royal Target (Hansen: “The author’s simple, direct style packs a strong wallop.”), N. C. Allen’s 19^th century-era thriller Isabelle Webb: Legend of the Jewel, (Hansen: The historical elements of the story are fascinating and show a great deal of careful research. I found myself completely engrossed in the action portion of the story, which is the greater part of the book, but I found the slowly developing love story deeply satisfying as well), Stephanie Black’s Marry Higgins Clark-style thriller Fool Me Twice (Hansen: “Like Clark, Stephanie Black plays her characters and the readers as intricately as a fine musician. Although none of the characters can be defined as all good or all bad, their positive and negative qualities are essential to the story. The gradual change in characters as they become stronger or more evil is handled with precision.”), and Sandra Grey’s World War II novel Traitor (Hansen: “One of those rare books [that] kept me reading far into the night until I reached the conclusion. I thought I’d had enough of World War II novels, but this one held me spellbound . . . The background behind this novel is well-researched, the major characters are well-developed, the pacing is fine-tuned, the romance is touching without over-shadowing the other plot elements, and the plot is multi-dimensional, complicated, and compelling.”).

In the category of scriptural/historical fiction, Toni Sorenson, a previous winner of the AML Novel Award, produced Master, a fictionalized account of Jesus Christ’s mortal ministry, told through the eyes of a fictional character presented as a servant of Mary and Joseph’s family. Jennie Hansen wrote, “Reading this book is a spiritually satisfying adventure. Almon is a well developed, complex character whose growth adds depth and insight to the story. The well known characters from the New Testament are fleshed out enough to feel real, but not so much as to make the reader feel they have become made up people.”  H. B. (Heather) Moore wrote Abinadi, the first in a new series about mid-period Book of Mormon prophets. She portrays Abinadi as a young husband and father, with a whole life to loose, rather than the old man found in the Arnold Friberg painting. Hansen wrote, “I was expecting something lighter and more romantic than this book proves to be. This one holds drama and excitement, reveals serious research, an understanding of a mature commitment to God, and the ability to speak directly of the sins and excesses of King Noah’s court and is, by far, Moore’s most outstanding work to date”. David G. Woolley produced the fourth in his Promised Land series of Book of Mormon novels, entitled Day of Remembrance. He continues with the tale of Lehi in the wilderness, but also weaves in a story of a 19^th century Russian Jewish family, as well as a fictional portrayal of Joseph Smith.  Hansen wrote, “The story is compelling, but the interwoven day to day picture that is painted of historic events and the everyday business of life brings the story a depth of reality not often found with such richness in historical fiction . . . But more than that, Day of Remembrance provides an intense spiritual journey for the reader.”

Another notable book from Covenant is E. M. Tippets’ Time and Eternity, a novel about a young woman who joins the Church and learns to navigate the Mormon dating scene. Hansen wrote, “Written in a light, fun style but carries a number of deeper messages dealing with being a new convert, changing lifestyles, faith, and commitment . . . This novel reveals excellent writing skills, including a fine touch with both dialog and timing. The story almost sparkles and presents an interesting viewpoint on the LDS dating scene. I recommend it primarily to women and girls who enjoy romance with a touch of humor. It has a polish not often seen in first novels.”

Deseret Book published 21 books in 2008, three more than in 2007, and more than ever in its history. Ten of the 21 were published by Shadow Mountain, Deseret Book’s imprint for national novels (which contain little to no specifically Mormon content). This was a large uptick in national novels, twice as much as Deseret has ever done in the past. As mentioned above, these included four young adult fantasy novels and Jason Wright’s Recovering Charles. It also included two novels by women’s fiction author Rachel Nunes, Fields of Home and Eyes of a Stranger.

Of the eleven novels published by the traditional Deseret Book imprint, the most popular were Chris Stewart’s From the End of Heaven and Clear as the Moon, the fifth and sixth volumes of his end-of-days series “The Great and Terrible”. The series followed a group of characters from the pre-existence through a series of last-days scenarios, wrapping up with the sixth volume. The series got off to a bumpy start in 2003, with a first volume set in the pre-existence that many Mormon critics saw as deeply flawed in structure and style.  After that, however, the series took flight. Jeff Needle wrote, “Stewart brings to the world of LDS fiction a steady and professional hand, always in control of his story, always aware that real people with real families and real concerns will be reading these books.  His tale is one of caution, but not of despair. He raises some frightening scenarios, but also sees redemption behind the dark clouds. As often as he deflates you and sends chills through your body, he also reminds us that, if we could just part the veil, we would see the hand of God behind the events that surround us. There’s no fanaticism here, only a certainty that good will ultimately triumph over evil. This is a great series overall. I’m just blown away by it — honestly. Once Stewart begins his tale in mortality, he grabs you by the throat and never lets go. I honestly believe that readers of LDS fiction will discover in this series a rare find, despite the occasional flaw.”  Jeannie Hansen wrote, “I loved seeing women finally playing really strong roles and I liked seeing strong, patriotic, moral leaders who were both members and non-members of the Church. I was completely hooked on the fast-paced action and feel a little sad that this series has ended. For all those who prefer to wait until a series is complete before starting to read it, go purchase volume one, and begin. This is a highly satisfying series and though I wasn’t enamored of volume one, the succeeding volumes have proved to be one of the most exciting series around.”  Stewart, a former Air Force pilot, had written several military thrillers for the national market before he began writing for Deseret Book in 2003. He produced a nationally published book in 2008, The God of War, about an advanced jet fighter stolen from the US Air Force. Critics have said that the scenes in the air are rousing, but the book dragged whenever the characters touched down on solid earth.

Other notable books from Deseret Book include Dean Hughes’ Promises to Keep: Diane’s Story, which follows up on one of the characters introduced in Hughes’ Hearts of the Children series, and James Ferrell’s The Holy Secret, which, like his previous novel The Peacegiver, is essentially a devotional essay written in a narrative fiction form.

Finally, the LDS fiction world lost a prolific author in November, when Ron Carter passed away.  Carter, a lawyer by profession, published his first work of fiction at the age of 56, in 1988. His best known work is the nine-volume Prelude To Glory series, a historical fiction series set during the American Revolutionary War.

Andrew Hall’s Mormon Literature Year in Review — Part 1b: National market books continued

In the wake of Harry Potter, Deseret Book’s Shadow Mountain imprint has made a big push into the national young adult fantasy genre.  They had four authors producing five novels in 2008. The most successful is Brandon Mull, whose Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague was the third in his series. The series reached #3 on the NYT Children’s Chapter Series bestseller list.  Obert Skye released two novels, Leven Thumps and the Wrath of Ezra, the fourth in a series, and Pillage, a stand-alone humorous novel. Shadow Mountain also brought in two authors who have previously published in the Mormon market. James Dashner published a successful fantasy series for the Mormon publisher Cedar Fort. Shadow Mountain contracted with him to write a national middle reader fantasy series, The 13^th Reality. It tells the story of a contemporary 13-year-old who is presented with a series of letters and clues drawing him into a adventure. A reviewer at Kirkus wrote, “Though there are chunks of text that are overwritten, the telling is generally laced with a strong sense of humor and a sure hand at plot; the author is plainly in tune with today’s fan base.”  A reviewer at School Library Journal wrote, “This book had great potential. The beginning of the adventure starts with a bang, but by the middle of the story things begin to drag. The immediacy gets lost in the daily struggle to figure out the riddles and the unending descriptions of Tick’s life as he awaits the next one.”  J. Scott Savage has written several mysteries in the Mormon market. Through Shadow Mountain he published the fantasy Water Keep: Farworld. Meridian Magazine reviewer Jeannie Hansen wrote, “There’s enough magic and strange creatures populating the book to please the most avid fantasy reader, but there’s an added dimension of mystery and philosophy that marks this fantasy as a cut above many fantasies currently being marketed to young adults.”

Outside of Shadow Mountain, Mormon authors have been able to publish a considerable amount of young adult and middle reader speculative fiction with national publishers. Jessica Day George has made a strong mark in the last two years.  Her novel Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow was a retelling of a classic Norwegian fairy tale. The review site “Curled up with a good kid’s book” wrote, “The characters are simply delightful. From sweet to stony and warm to ice-clad evil, the idiosyncratic array of creatures is never dull . . . George’s beautiful description and ridiculously engaging storytelling kept me captivated – so much so that this reader curled up and read the entire book in a sitting, not realizing that hunger and tiredness were both calling very loudly. Lost in an icy world full of wonderfully exotic words and names, I didn’t look up until I’d closed the book.” George also produced Dragon Flight, a sequel to Dragon Slippers, which won a Whitney Award in 2007 for Best Novel by a New Author.  A reviewer at VOYA wrote, “George creates a very satisfying sequel that adds just the right touches to complete the story . . . The clear conflict that leads to loads of tension in the book’s last half makes a wonderful action-packed page-turner. Ultimately the conclusion with plenty of romance makes everything complete. Even though the pacing in the first half of the book is quite slow and the extended setting could have been more defined, this novel is excellent.” A reviewer at Children’s Literature wrote, “It is great fun with enough twists and turns to keep readers glued to their copies until the very end. George also avoids being too derivative of other popular dragon novels . . . While the story’s conclusion is as idyllic as a fairy tale (the Disney kind, not the Grimm versions), Creel gets her prince because of her intelligence and integrity, not her beauty. George has deftly managed to stay true to the archetypes of fantasy literature but she has a unique perspective to share and this novel, while intended for young audiences, will entertain older readers as well.”

Shannon Hale has been a leader in the young adult fantasy market over the last decade, and has been one of my favourite authors. In 2008 she tried something new, a graphic novel, Rapunzel’s Revenge, co-written by her husband Dean Hale, and illustrated by Nathan Hale (no relation). The Hales set the Rapunzel tale in a wild west milieu.  A reviewer at School Library Journal wrote, “The Hales have a good sense of character and personality here. Rapunzel’s spirit is pretty evident, both visually and through her verve and words right from the get go. Heck, the first time you see her she’s hanging off a branch in the garden and falling into a small pond . . . The cowboy feel and characters in this book are a bit odd, but they work within the context of the tale. It’s certainly a more American take on the Rapunzel story than you’ll usually find in a library. All spurs and lassos and riding bucks . . . Nathan Hale was an interesting choice of illustrator for this particular outing. It took me a while to get attuned to his more cartoonish style, I admit . . . For this book, Hale scales back the complexity (at least until he needs to use it) producing a simpler product. Once you get into it, it kinda works. I liked Hale’s ability to render the multiple uses of extremely long hair during the Rapunzel-grows-up montages. I liked that he was as comfortable presenting a grey desolate wasteland as we was a beautiful ball gown . . . And I liked that he ends the book with a very sexy kiss. Very sexy. Or maybe I just like boys in white shirtsleeves.”

Other young adult fantasy authors were R. D. Henham (AKA Rebecca Shelley), whose debut novel, Red Dragon Codex is the first of a series, and James A. Owen, who produced the second and third volumes of his Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series, in which a series of real and fictional literary characters are summoned to help a group of adventures. Owen’s second volume, The Search for the Red Dragon, received generally poor reviews.  A reviewer at Children’s Literature wrote, “While a charitable reading of the story would see this hyper-abundance of endlessly derivative borrowings as homage to the deep and powerful themes that run through all myth and fantasy, the overall effect is of an extremely long, smug, and tedious exercise in ‘See if you can guess all these literary allusions.’”  A reviewer at School Library Journal wrote, “There are moments that transcend the mixed genres, especially toward the end of the book, and one can see the brilliance of the concept. However, most of the novel is rather stilted with cardboard characters and overly elaborate dialogue. Young readers will not recognize the literary allusions, making this more of a choice for lovers of children’s literature and less of a book for children and teens.”

There are so many Mormons writing fantasy young adult novels, it is easy to forget the few who write other kinds of young adult novels. Kimberly Heuston wrote The Book of Jude, about an intelligent Mormon girl’s fight against a debilitating psychological illness, set against the historical events of the 1989 Velvet Revolution in Prague. Elizabeth Ward at The Washington Post wrote, “[Jude's] a canny and poetic observer, but because we’re limited to her viewpoint, the fog is pretty thick before it dawns on us that this is no portrait of a spoiled, “stupid American teenager,” but a remarkable inside account of a mental illness unfolding . . . Heuston’s interweaving of these big themes is moving and often funny, and she rarely jabs you to think this or feel that. You could give The Book of Jude to any adult, young or otherwise.”  Lynn Rashid at the School Library Journal wrote, “The story starts off slowly as the teen leaves New York and the political and social details of Czechoslovakia are presented. While some less-savvy readers may be alienated by the historical context and setting, others will be drawn in as it becomes apparent that Jude is struggling with more than the usual teen angst. Other novels do a better job of illuminating the realities of teen mental illness; what makes this novel unique is the context in which it takes place.” A reviewer at Kirkus wrote, “Diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, Jude is placed on medication and returned to her family in Prague where, far from cured, she continues her self-destructive behaviour. Only when her father brings a Mormon bishop to bless her does Jude return to functional health. Although Jude’s illness is powerfully and convincingly portrayed, the deus-ex-machina resolution fails to satisfy. Readers who don’t know or share the Mormon faith may be perplexed or unconvinced by Jude’s beatific religious experience. The message that severe mental illness can be cured, or at least controlled, by faith is at best debatable.”  It sounds interesting to me.

Emily Wing Smith is one of a number of recent LDS authors to receive a Masters in Fine Arts from Vermont College, where LDS author Martine Levitt teaches.  Flux, a new young adult imprint from Llewellyn Publications, published Smith’s first novel, The Way He Lived. A starred review from Publisher’s Weekly said, “Besides living in the same Mormon community in Utah, six young people have something else in common: each had a special connection to Joel, who died of dehydration after giving away his water during a badly planned Boy Scout expedition. In vignettes showing the six teens’ differing points of view, first-time author Smith probes into the psychologies of the survivors to demonstrate Joel’s effect on their lives and their attempts to make sense of his death. . . . The author preserves each narrator’s complexity, investigating their defences and revealing their core selves while dropping clues about the enigmatic Joel. It’s a testament to Smith’s skills that although her central character speaks only through other people’s recollections, his identity emerges distinctly by the end of the novel, giving the audience enough information to judge his actions for themselves.” Several reviewers have praised Smith for her subtle and convincing portrayal of the role of religion in the lives of the characters, and the tensions around Joel’s possible homosexuality.

A. E. (Ann) Cannon produced The Loser’s Guide to Life and Love, a contemporary take on A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Mormon blogger Gamlia writes, “This was an extremely fun read. The author has such a fun and hilarious voice. The characters are unique and funny, and this is a really funny romantic teen comedy. I laughed out loud lots of times. It was refreshing to read a really great teen book that was humorous. The book has several Mormon elements, as Scout’s brother is on a mission in Brazil, which is one of the ways Ed finds out so much info about the country, so he can act like he’s from Brazil.” A reviewer at Kirkus Reviews, however, wrote, “The alternating voices that convey the narrative in a variety of forms are uneven instead of engaging: Though Ed and Scout are convincing enough in their roles as totally-regular guy and gal, Ellie and Quark never rise beyond their stereotypes of lonely, brilliant beauty and geek. Mediocrity of storytelling aside, the romantic tension is palpable, there is a Shakespearean climax replete with costumes and kissing, and thus-inclined readers will find here at least a few hours of satisfying, if fleeting, romance.”

Kristen Landon’s debut novel, Life in the Pit, is the story of a girl in a school orchestra. Richelle Roth at School Library Journal wrote, “The story line bounces between a dull romance and a predictable and linear mystery. Brittany is a flimsy character, one moment smart, confident, and strong, the next unnecessarily self-conscious, jealous, and irrational. Interactions with side characters do nothing to flesh out her true self, and her upgrade from orchestra nerd to popularity queen is far too easy. Kyle’s unabashed expressions of love are unrealistic for a high school boy. Unbelievably, Amanda seems surprised and hurt by the notion that guys only want to date her for one reason, and the sober cover art fails to portray the flighty mood of the book.” Another 2008 novel was Carol Lynch Williams’ Pretty Like Us, about a shy middle school girl who meets a girl with a disease that prematurely ages her.

In the latest issue of Irreantum I discovered a nationally respected literary author was also an active Mormon.  The journal published two poems by Hart Wegner, a distinguished UNLV professor, and author of two highly regarded short story collections, both of which featured stories about character who, like Wegner, lived in Germany before and during World War II, and moved to Nevada after the war.  Wegner has won the Pushcraft Prize and many other awards.

Note from Wm: We have a writing rookie on tap for Thurs. and Short Story Friday on Fri. so we’ll finish up Andrew’s Year in Review with two or three more posts next week. Trust me: it’ll be worth the wait.

Andrew Hall’s Mormon Literature Year in Review — Part 1a: National market books

The publishing story of 2008 was a Mormon author, Stephenie Meyer.  Meyer was one of three Mormon authors who reached the top of the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Bestseller list, the first Mormon authors to reach that position since 1995. In fact, there were more Mormon-authored novels on the best seller lists in 2008 than ever before.  None of these best sellers contained openly Mormon characters or concepts, however. Vampires, romance, heart-warming tales of Christmas, and speculative fiction was what brought the Mormon authors to the top.

The world in 2008 was Stephenie Meyer’s. She is the biggest publishing phenomenon since J. K. Rowling.  Little, Brown released her adult science fiction novel The Host in May, and it went to the top of the Times’ Hardcover list.  By the end of the year it was still at #5 on that list. August saw the release of the fourth and final volume of her Twilight series, Breaking Dawn. The series has dominated the Times’ Children’s Series list for the last two years (the Times created the Children’s bestseller list in 2000 to clear all of the Harry Potter books off of the main hardcover and paperback lists, and the Children’s Series list in 2004 to consolidate each series into a single entry).  At the end of the year the USA Today list, which is a single list for all fiction, hardcover and paperback, had the four Twilight books occupying 1^st, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th places, with The Host down at 22^nd. Without a doubt Meyer was the best selling fiction author of 2008.  Bookscan estimates her total at almost 15 million units sold in 2008.  Also, the movie version of the first volume in the Twilight series was released in the fall, and was a box office success.

Before considering the literary merits of the books, consider their economic impact.  The country is going into a difficult economic time, and the book industry is among those bearing the brunt. News of layoffs in the industry are widespread, and the venerable Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, perhaps the most prestigious literary publisher, shocked the industry by announcing in November that it would temporarily not acquire any new books.  The Hachette Book Group, the owner of Meyer’s publisher Little, Brown, on the other hand, has announced no layoffs, and instead gave one week bonuses to every employee in the company, in addition to the regular bonuses for which staff members are eligible (NY Times, Nov. 25).  Meyer was not the only successful author at Little, Brown in 2008, but she certainly was the leader.

The Host told the tell of Invasion of the Body Snatchers-type alien invaders who have taken control of earth, and the battle between a woman and the alien soul who tries to take control of her mind. It had a darker, edgier feel than the Twilight books, and while no one called it a literary masterpiece, many reviewers noted a move forward in Meyer’s literary skills, even though the change in tone and style probably made the book less appealing to teenage girls. Publisher’s Weekly called it a “tantalizing SF thriller . . . [which] shines with romantic intrigue.” The official Amazon.com review wrote, “Those wary of sci-fi or teen angst will be pleasantly surprised by this mature and imaginative thriller, propelled by equal parts action and emotion . . . It’s unabashedly romantic, and the characters (human and alien) genuinely endearing.”

Meyer’s books have usually received at least tepidly good critical response, but that collapsed with the publication of Breaking Dawn. Critical readers have emphasized how the protagonists achieved nearly everything they wanted in the end, with little sacrifice. Publisher’s Weekly wrote, “Everyone gets everything they want, even if their desires necessitate an about-face in characterization or the messy introduction of some back story. Nobody has to renounce anything or suffer more than temporarily.”  A reviewer at the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote, “The problem here is the story, or the lack of it. For the most part, rather than serving as a climatic fourth chapter to the best-selling series, this book is a long, dragged-out epilogue filled with an author’s indulgences for her characters.” A reviewer at the Globe wrote, “There are moments of reading pleasure, as Bella discovers and revels in her new powers, and Jacob’s transformation heralds an important (and unintentionally creepy) plot point – but their metamorphoses irrevocably sever real from ideal, and sap the story of what little tension it possessed. Human foibles vanish and the characters are relieved, even ecstatic to see them go. There’s no sense of loss, of any sacrifice made, so the ecstasy feels fevered-but-flat, just like everything else. And by the time the big showdown comes . . . it doesn’t seem to matter.”

The second Mormon author to reach the top of the New York Times Hardcover Fiction was an author of-guess what-vampire romance (and other paranormal) fiction. Christine Feehan does not make her Church membership an issue in her publicity, unlike Meyer.  Her stories contain much more graphically sexual material than the generally tame Meyer.  Dark Curse is the 16^th in a series of novels about sexy Romanian vampires.  It was her first novel to reach the top of the Hardcover list. She also published two paperback-only novels in 2008, Predatory Game and Turbulent Sea, both the sixth volumes in series about people with paranormal abilities. Both reached #2 on the New York Times Mass-market Paperback list.

The third Mormon author to achieve NYT best selling status was the conservative talk show host Glenn Beck, with his debut novel, The Christmas Sweater. Beck claims the tear-jerking story is based on his own childhood experience with his emotionally fragile mother. Of all the Mormon-authored works on the best seller lists, this is by far the most religious, with an emphasis on the importance of Christ’s atonement in the healing of wounded souls. Beck has gone on a nationwide tour selling out theatres performing a dramatic retelling of the story. Publishers Weekly commented, “For all his focus on traditional family virtues like respect, love and forgiveness, Beck’s lightweight parable cruises on predictability, repetition and sentimentality.”  Beck has two co-authors (not mentioned on the front cover), one of which, Jason F. Wright, is also a Mormon author, and will be discussed below.

As the three top-selling Mormon authors represent two genres-vampire romance and tear-jerker/heart-warmer-it should not be surprising that there are several other Mormon authors working in theoe same fields. Other Mormon authors finding success in romance and women’s paperbacks are Lynn Kurland, Brenda Novak, and Amanda Ashley (aka Madeline Baker).  All three are known for romance books in which the erotic content is relatively tame and even chaste.

Kurland specializes in fantasy settings, including time travel, magic, and ancient Britian.  Her novel With Every Breath reached #13 on the NYT Mass-market Paperback list.  Library Journal wrote of another 2008 Kurland novel, The Mage’s Daughter, “Powerful magic, ancient spells, old enmities, and dangerous secrets underpin the intricate plot of this engrossing, lyrically descriptive tale that contrasts hideous evil with tender, heart-wrenching love, tempers it with gentle humor, and serves it up with an adventurous flair . . . It is the depth of [the protagonists] love-the romantic scenes are magical-that is the highlight of this exceptionally well-done novel.”

Brenda Novak has been a published romance author since 1999.  In 2008 she produced a trilogy of thrillers, two of which reached the NYT Mass-Market Paperback list (#20 and #25). Each of the three novels focuses on different members of an organization which helps survivors of crime and teaches them self-defence. Of course the group members get the opportunity to use their new skills.

The romance author Madeline Baker publishes vampire romances under the name Amanda Ashley. She is known for her devout Christian heroines and couples who stay chaste until marriage.

As for tear-jerker/heart-warmer, there is Richard Paul Evans, the founder of the modern incarnation of the genre, and Jason F. Wright. Before 2008, Evans was the last Mormon to reach the top of the NYT Hardcover Fiction list, with his debut novel The Christmas Box. Since then he has written a series of successful tales. This year he returned to the lucrative setting of Christmas, with his novel Grace. It tells the story of a poor Salt Lake City family in the early 1960s, and the abused girl they encounter. Publishers Weekly observed, “Evans portrays Grace’s heartbreaking predicament with sensitivity and also touches on how the political situation affected the era’s youth (”The possibility of a nuclear holocaust was just something we always carried around in the back of our minds, like an overdue library book”). Evans knows how to pull on the heartstrings, and the conclusion to this one will have readers reaching for a hankie.”  The novel reached #35 on the NYT Hardcover Fiction list.

Jason F. Wright came to national attention with his 2007 novel The Wednesday Letters, published by Shadow Mountain, Deseret Book’s imprint for national market books. It reached #6 on the NYT Hardcover list in 2007, and the paperback version reached #16 on the Trade Paperback list in 2008. Glenn Beck has had Wright on his program several times, and Wright was a co-author of Beck’s The Christmas Sweater. Wright’s new novel, Recovering Charles, told the story of a man looking for his estranged father in post-Katrina New Orleans.  Several critical readers have said that it is Wright’s best written book, but that he still relies more on emotional heart-tugging than on plot.

British mystery author Anne Perry has produced a string of reliably well-written and engaging works over the last twenty years. Buckingham Palace Gardens, the latest in her Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, reached #15 on the NYT Hardcover list.  A Times reviewer wrote, “Unlike so many detective series gliding on cruise control, this mature work provides a fine introduction to Perry’s alluring world of Victorian crime and intrigue. Ever the master of her milieu, she delivers sumptuous descriptions of life among the gentry when England still basked in its imperial glory. . . . To make her point that the most insignificant life matters, even in the most class-bound society, Perry employs an irresistibly appealing “Upstairs, Downstairs” perspective.”  The book was named one of the Times’ Notable Crime Fiction of 2008.  Perry also released her 6^th Christmas novel, A Christmas Grace, which featured Charlotte Pitt. It reached #31 on the NYT Hardcover list.

Speculative fiction author Orson Scott Card has been another staple on the best-selling lists for decades. In 2008 he released Ender in Exile, another chapter in his flagship Ender series. Publishers Weekly wrote, “This philosophical novel covers familiar events, but puts new emphasis on their ethical ramifications . . . [Ender's] agonized musings aren’t always sophisticated but possess a certain gravitas. Fans will find this offering illuminating, and it’s also accessible to thoughtful readers new to the series.”  I enjoyed the book, but was ultimately put off by Ender’s nearly divine ability to solve any situation. Ender’s experiences with tragedy were part of what made Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead great novels. Here there is no tragedy, because 15-year old Ender solves every problem before it gets out of hand. The novel reached #16 on the NYT Hardcover list.

Tor, Card’s publisher, also produced a collection of Card’s shorter fiction, entitled Keeper of Dreams. It covers stories published since his last major collection, 1990’s Maps in a Mirror.  In a starred review, Publishers Weekly wrote, “Card offers short, revealing commentaries on these 22 compelling short stories, novelettes, and novellas . . . [The stories] provide significant examples of his perennial themes: morality, salvation, and redemption.” Several of the stories were written specifically for a Mormon audience.  Card also produced Stonefather, a novella intended to whet appetites for a new fantasy series, and Zanna’s Gift, a short Christmas novel.

There seems to be a strong tradition among Mormon speculative fiction authors to include difficult moral issues in their work. It started with Card, and has continued through David Farland to Brandon Sanderson. In 2008 Sanderson released the third in his well regarded Mistborn series. It reached #21 on the NYT Hardcover list. Publishers Weekly wrote, “a dramatic and surprising climax . . . Sanderson’s saga of consequences offers complex characters and a compelling plot, asking hard questions about loyalty, faith and responsibility.” I think Sanderson is a fantastic author, I hope to catch up with the Mistborn series soon.

Sanderson also produced the second volume of his fantasy series for young readers, Alcatraz vrs. The Scriviner’s Bones. A blogger named Fyrefly wrote, “Too funny! . . . It manages to maintain the high levels of energy and snarky humor that characterized the first book. Of course, a little bit of the first-novel charm of having a new world to explore and new characters to meet has worn off by this point, but what this instalment lacks in shiny new-book-itude, it makes up for with creative new plot twists, and with an increase in the maturity of the underlying message. Alcatraz has been thrust into the role of leader, and watching him struggle with it, at the same time he’s coping with his own history, family, and powers, is interesting to watch.”

David Farland (AKA Dave Wolverton) wrote The Wyrmling Horde, the seventh in the Runelords series. Publishers Weekly wrote, “Oscillating between lurid depictions of blood-soaked vistas and heroic tales of noble adolescent saviors, Farland attempts to leaven the violence with enchanting parallel-world landscapes and charming minor characters, but the atmosphere overall is unrelentingly gloomy. Nonetheless, this series promises to continue as long as stalwart-stomached readers can keep turning its grisly pages.”

Note: This ends the first part of the national market wrap up — I’ll post the second part tomorrow and then we will move on the Mormon market, and poetry and short fiction.