Sample of my Writing in High School

I've been doing some spring cleaning lately.  Because, it is after all, Spring. FINALLY!

One delicious discovery I came across was a file folder filled with old writing assignments.  In a moment of pure lunacy, I've decided to share one of  them, in all its glory
.  Enjoy!

~ P.S. Remember, I was still a novice. And this was high school (9th grade).  Have mercy!

My Bedroom

(11/18/90)

As you walk into my bedroom you see a revolting pigsty that looks like a parent's worst nightmare.  My bed is trapped in the corner of my room by a set of old blue bunk beds ominously waiting for someone to bump into them during the middle of the night.  Clothing surrounds the bed except for a narrow pathway leading from it, two feet wide, and cleared so that no junk will be stepped on in the middle of the night.  With shadows that overwhelm the corner, the variety of colors and textures from pants, shirts, and underwear, socks, coats, skirts, and sweaters appear to be a blob piled halfway up to the ceiling. Shirts sleeves and pant legs infest the edges of the bed where they hang lifeless, waiting to be put away.  Papers from previous assignments suffocate unnoticed under the weight of the clothing.

At the foot of the bed the majority of the ghastly mess becomes bunched up and wrinkled.  Another blob consisting of a baby blue, fuzzy, electric blanket and a light blue quilt, with tiny white flowers covering the top of the quilt, infest the middle of the bed. Resting at the head of the bed lies a lone, white teddy bear.  The only splash of color it carries is his red paws and matching red bow-tie with dots of silver sparkles.  A grey, overstuffed pillow sits under the teddy bear. Next to the pillow, my red, blue and white baby blanked with holes worn through it as an attempted sewing job along its edges - performed by me before I knew how to sew - waits to be snuggled during the night. As you walk out of the room, you look back at it and shudder to think that any form of life could exist in there.

Unleashed is Finished and Ready To Publish

I have finally put the finishing touches on my Contemporary YA Novel, Unleashed!  

Unleashed!
    Black Widow meets Mean Girls.  

Here's the blurb for the book: 

17-year-old Aleasha Summers was groomed to become a spy and never even knew it. That is, until her family died in a car accident and the Agency sends a handsome agent to collect her.

Tasked with infiltrating a high school and its seedy underbelly, Aleasha finds herself caught in Cecelia’s cross hairs.  But Cecelia is no ordinary high school bully. She's a child of the Mexican Mafia hell-bent on controlling the city and destroying Aleasha in any way she can.

When her boyfriend, her family, and Agency members are kidnapped, Aleasha must take on the Mafia to save her new spy family and the family she has come to love, or lose them and leave the city helpless against the Mexican Mafia’s reign of terror.

Interesting Facet #1:  Aleasha Summers is modeled after a girl I actually know. The girl ON THE COVER!  

There's so much to tell; so many tidbits to include about Unleashed!  And I'm so excited to finally be able to share them!  So take a moment, sign up for my newsletter so I can let you in on the secrets too. By the time Unleashed! completes the publishing process and is on the shelves, you'll feel like you already know her.  I guarantee you'll love her as much as I do. 

And, if you want to read the first five pages, head on over to my Website, and download them!

Book Review: Bridges of the Heart

I had the opportunity to read a book called Bridges of the Heart by author Joan Sowards this weekend.  She and I became acquainted through the ANWA Writer's group and she sent me a copy for review.  

I've never been a big historical romance reader, but I gave it a try and was impressed with the story.  Maybe it's because I have a soft spot in my heart for family history and genealogy.  My parents and a few sisters are/were avid genealogists.  We estimate my parents submitted more than 300,000 names before they passed.  Imagine THAT welcoming committee on the other side! ;)

Or maybe it's because the story line was different from so many that I've read in recent months.  I don't know.  Except that over the couple of days I spent reading this book, my mind would often wander back to the place I was at, wondering what would happen next and pondering the turn of events in the story.  

It was easy to get lost in the pages and the time period with the less-than perfect (although spot-on for that time period) dialogue, and little reminders that life in the 1800's were so very different from today.  At times I'd catch myself smiling at the pages, and toward the end there were tears steaming down my cheeks.  

I think what I enjoyed about this book, though, was the gentle reminder of how intertwined our destinies are with one another in our families.  I love how the author illustrates that who we are is because of our ancestors, and how those same ancestors depend on us, their future generations, to cement in heaven what was started here on earth. 

I was enlightened, inspired, and finished the book feeling a strong sense of belonging in the universe. If you are looking for a book that encourages and uplifts, mingled with a dose of gospel doctrine and a look into the eternities, this is the book for you.   I highly recommend it. 

~Susan

Click on the picture to go to the Amazon Page

Synopsis:

Bridges of the Heart is about the power of love and forgiveness and the eternal nature of families. Twenty-one-year-old Rachel's life falls apart when her mother becomes ill and passes away. To add to her confusion, Maxson proposes on the evening of the funeral. Rachel escapes to Utah to think and take time off from the relationship. After returning to Arizona, Rachel finds Maxson in a relationship with Paige—Rachel's rival throughout high school. With time, Rachel convinces herself she is over Maxson, but a strange Southern visitor named Jonathan tells her that in the eternal scheme of life, she was always meant to marry Maxson. Jonathan insists it is her responsibility to apologize to Maxson and set things straight. But Rachel refuses, and because of her stubbornness, she is whirled back in time to 1820 to learn that families are eternal—not only through time forward, but also the past. Latter-day Saint women of all ages will enjoy Bridges of the Heart. With a heart-warming, unique perspective of the early-nineteenth-century American South, Bridges of the Heart is a story about the power of love and forgiveness.

You Know You're a Bibliphile When...

Funniest thing ever:

So I was taking my 15-year-old to school this morning.  When he climbed into the car, he had an old, worn down hard-back book in his hands.  One of the Fablehaven series, I believe.  He's read them several times and loves them.



We drove to school like we do every morning, and as he climbed out of the car, I reminded him to grab his book.

He looks at me and says, "Nah.  I don't need it.  I already have several others in my bag."

I laughed so hard.  How many 15-year-old boys carry around a stack of books with them just in case they need something to read?  Plus, I happen to know he has another 200 books downloaded onto his phone.

That boy is worse than I am!

By son is a bibliophile.  And he's got it bad!

I am NOT the Same Susan Allred that wrote Beyond the Wall

Just to make a few hazy points clearer, I am NOT the same Susan Allred who wrote 'Beyond the Wall'.

Yes, I am a writer.  No.  I am not a published author...yet.

I do write mystery games though.  And I actually sell them.  Does that make me a paid author?  Hmm.  That may be up for debate. You can see some of my work at www.whodunnitmysteries.com .

But as far as publishing a book.  Nope.  I'm not there yet.  Though, admittedly, I haven't even tried to pitch any of my books to a literary agent or a publisher yet.

I respect this trade, and there is a gigantic learning curve for someone like me who has never done any serious writing up until 2  years ago, and has no degree in literature, English, or similar subjects.

I respect this craft, and therefore take my work seriously enough to know that there is much I must learn before I can be arrogant enough to think that I should ask someone to take time out of their busy schedule to read my stuff.

A) Because there are hundreds and thousands of other aspiring authors requesting the same.

B) Because I want the reader to be so enthralled with my book that they want to sit and read the WHOLE THING. Not just a couple measly pages.  But that's just me.  :)

So, I will continue to write this little blog of mine, and keep plugging away at my many manuscripts and learning every little detail there is to learn about not only writing, but being an excellent writer.

Maybe sometime soon, I will be able to announce that I'm going to be published though.


Soon.   Very very soon.  (maniacal laughter in the background).


P.S.  I'm up to 16,000 words on my 3rd manuscript!!  It's coming along!

What? More Ideas?

I had the privilege of going to an ANWA (American Night Writer's Association) Retreat a couple weeks ago.

While there, I came up with nearly 10 new Novel ideas that I wanted to write about in the future.  Wahoo!  New Novels.  At this rate, I'll be busy for the next 10 years doing what I love: writing.

Last night as I was putting my youngest child to bed, I fell asleep (what a pleasant surprise!).  Except it gets better.  When I woke up, I remembered a dream I'd been in the middle of that was so unique and so neat that my 15-year old son (an avid reader and one of my biggest advocates) told me to write it down on a piece of paper.

"It must mean something," he said.  "Go write it down so you don't forget it."

So I did.

And from that one little dream, evolved six more titles and books, creating another Young Adult Book Series that I will be writing once I finished the Unleashed series.  I'm so excited about this new series idea too.  The themes are fun, unique, and will hopefully be uplifting to the teens who read it.  Now, to plow through and finish the Unleashed books so I can get to the "Deadly Wins" Series!

I certainly hope I get published.  Otherwise, I'll have shelves and shelves of paper in my office! lol  Oh well!  It's more about the love of the process for me.  Who knows? Maybe I'll eventually spend my life getting paid to do what I love.  Could I be so lucky?  I guess we'll have to wait and see.

My name is Susan Allred. And I am a writer.

Tap tap tap.  "Is this thing on?"
(pause)
"Testing, testing, one two three."
Sigh.  (clear throat)
"Uh.  Hello.  My name is Susan Allred.  And I am a writer."

***

How do I know, you ask?
Well, that depends.

Maybe I knew I was a writer in 3rd grade when I won a school wide writing contest that sent me to an area-wide young writer's conference.

Maybe I knew when I started getting A's in my creative writing classes, and decided that I loved to write.

Maybe I knew when I decided to minor in English in college.

Maybe I knew when my father gave me his mystery game business, and I began writing and selling mystery games all over the world.

Or Maybe it was when I finally sat down and finished writing my first novel.  And then my second. And now I'm half way through my third of five books in a series.

I don't know when, exactly, I decided I was a writer.  But I can tell you the moment I decided to say it out loud for the world to hear.

I was at an ANWA writer's conference in Rosario Beach, WA with my friend Kat Rosenbaum.  We had the distinct pleasure of listening to Carla Kelly, a historical romance writer.  On her final speech, she urged us to say it loud and say it proud, "I am a writer."

So hear I am.

I am Susan Allred, and I am a writer.

Thank you.