Making Friends Monday

Welcome to this week's installment of Making Friends Monday, where it's Monday, and we make friends!  Works out pretty well, huh?

I'd like to start out by introducing Angela Morrison.  She is the author of Taken by Storm and Unbroken Connection, and she will be shortly releasing Cayman Summer.  In fact, her blog is named Cayman Summer, which does two things:  makes me wish it were summer, and makes me wish I were in the Caymans. I'm pretty sure that was intentional on her part. This blog is brand new.  She's previously been blogging here. 

I asked her about her hobbies.  She replied, "Our whole family scuba dives now. When we moved to Mesa we made sure the swimming pool was deep enough to go down there with tanks. Crazy, huh? I kind of prefer a nice reef on the ocean, but we don't have an ocean. We do have bobcats that visit our fountain in the front yard, a real life cougar that patrols the subdivision, and a herd of wild javelinas that pillage our flower pots. My secret dream is to be a ballet dancer. 

"I treasure old things that help me imagine the past. I have a pair of my great grandmother's leather boots that fit my feet exactly. I just rescued a very old piano from a showroom of shiny new ones. My husband is the ultimate road warrior. He drags me around the world sometimes. We've lived in Canada, Switzerland and Singapore. This summer I cajoled him into driving me all over the Scottish Highlands and Outer Hebrides. I was researching a novel about the Highland Clearances I want to write, but discovered another novel hidden in the mists on the Isle of Skye. I brought home a leather sporran (the man-purse Scots wear in front of their kilts) that dates to the early 19th Century when my Scottish ancestors sailed to the Americas. It matches my great grandmother's boots perfectly!"

Hey, someone else who has lived in Canada!!  I didn't know I had so many Canadian friends.  It must have something to do with the fact that I badly want to go to Prince Edward Island.

Our next blogger is Mary Walker.  I don't think she's Canadian. She says, "I started my first blog in August of 2008, after saying for weeks that I would never blog. (That's how it always happens, Mary ... but the blogging will get you anyway ...) I started my second blog in August of 2009. 

"On my Custom Ties blog, I post about all sorts of random things,  family parties, reunions, lunch with friends, book promotions, some politics, church, jokes, videos, and Gluten Free Recipes that I've tried, and that are good.  Whatever I am doing, or grabs my interest at the moment.

"My Book Corner Blog is reviews of some of the books I read. I started this after surgery last summer, when I couldn't use my left hand and was reading a lot. I decided that since I have a large number of friends in the east, where it is hard to find LDS Fiction, I would share what I liked. I am slow updating this one, because I still have book report trauma from my grade school years.

"My mom enrolled me in my first book club before I was born. I love to read, I did a happy dance when they opened a Deseret Book on the west side of Phoenix. I love going to book signings, but there aren't nearly enough down here in the Phoenix area. I grew up in central Massachusetts. I have served in the Nursery in 4 different wards for a total of 21 years. It is my all-time favorite calling. I have had other callings too, but none I like so much."

I was in the nursery for a while too, Mary!  It is a fun calling.

Our last blogger for today is Michael Young.  I have no idea if he's Canadian or not.  He says, "I just started blogging in February when my first novel, 'The Canticle Kingdom' came out.  I never realized how fun it was. 

              

"I love to interview other authors and review their books.  I also enjoy putting up articles about writing and how to become a better one.  (They help me learn along the way too.) 

              

"I have a variety of interests from doing theater, to singing with The Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  In addition to writing novels, I'd love to write a musical and have it performed someday."

Michael sat at my table at the LDStorymakers writers conference this last year for a total of about thirty-seven seconds.  I don't know if it was something I said, but he sure took off in a hurry ... Michael, we'll have to try it again and shoot for two minutes next time, okay?

Thanks for joining us today.  Now, run around and visit everyone's blogs and get to know each other!  After all, we are friendly, frisky followers!  And if you'd like to participate in an installment of Making Friends Monday, click here to read the rules.