Defining LDS Fiction

Just what exactly is LDS fiction?

It's fiction that is written for people who want to read about LDS topics, or issues as seen through the LDS lens. LDS fiction may include elements of romance, suspense, mystery, history, or drama, but the underlying foundation is the same -- the characters are either LDS or become LDS, the story is clean, and sin is shown, yet so are the consequences. The sin isn't shown graphically, and language is kept to a tasteful minimum.

What is an LDS author?

A person who writes books and is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


As we bandy about terms in the LDS market, there's room for confusion. The term "LDS fiction" refers to a genre, as described above. When you pick up a book that is listed as "LDS fiction," you should be able to count on it containing the above elements. If it doesn't, it could be classified as "general fiction" or "women's fiction" and the like, but if it doesn't include many if not all of the above elements, it doesn't truly fall into the "LDS fiction" genre.

There are LDS authors who write for the national market, and their books would fall more into the "general fiction," "women's fiction," or "young adult" genres.

When you pick up a book by an LDS author, unless it says "LDS fiction," you shouldn't automatically assume that it will contain the elements of LDS fiction. The book may or may not mention the Church at all. It may contain swearing, bed scenes and the like. Those things are more accepted on the national level and the LDS author has more leeway than they would in the LDS market. Being an LDS author doesn't mean that you have to write LDS fiction any more than I have to write women's fiction because I'm a woman or chick lit because I'm a chick -- every author has the right to choose what they want to write.

However, if you're going to write a book and call it "LDS fiction," it should maintain certain standards. It's the genre type. I wouldn't write a romance with no mystery whatsoever and call it a mystery, any more than I would write a chick lit and call it a man's book. You've got to properly identify your genre or you won't hit the audience you're targeting. If you tell me your book is chick lit and it turns out to be about four college guys who drop out and take a road trip, I'm going to be disappointed. I had my mouth set for chick lit and didn't get it. By the same token, if you tell me your book is LDS fiction and it doesn't contain the elements I'm expecting, I'm going to be disappointed. It's false advertising.

This is one reason why I'm such a stickler about the backliner of a book being accurate. It annoys me no end when the backliner doesn't give a good hint about the contents of a book. I need to expect what I'm going to read. That's why, on the back of "Season of Sacrifice," I mention the polygamy aspect. I want my readers to know full well that book contains polygamy, so if it's something they just can't read, they won't be expected to read it.

I've gone off on a tangent, although the point is valid. Let me come back to my main premise. When you pick up an LDS fiction novel, you should be able to expect a clean read. When you pick up a book by an LDS author, that guarantee doesn't exist, as the author has free agency to write whatever they want. They can just call it by another genre name to indicate to their readers what to expect.

This is where LDS authors like Stephenie Meyer have gotten a lot of criticism. Yes, she's LDS. But she's not writing for the LDS market, and so her constraints on content would be different. Her books certainly don't qualify as LDS fiction, but that's okay. She's never claimed that they do. She properly identified herself as a young adult author on the national level. I've been a pretty strong advocate for Stephenie when others have dogged her for writing the way she has. It's a different market and you can't hold her to LDS market standards when she's writing for the national market.

To summarize: In order to call your book "LDS fiction," make sure it falls into the guidelines for that genre. If it doesn't, choose another genre title and call it by that name. You'll give your readers a much more clear idea of what to expect. The fact that you are LDS and you write fiction doesn't automatically mean that you write LDS fiction.

A Glutton for Punishment

I'm hosting a Book in a Month challenge right now over on Tristi's Challenges, but I haven't written a thing all week. And this after challenging the participants to pour it on! But I haven't been slacking . . . oh, far from it.

Here are some pictures of what I've been doing.

First of all, when we moved into our trailer, my sons really wanted a room that looked like the sky. I painted the walls light blue and sponged on some clouds. This is what it looked like:

Pretty cute, huh? I'm not good at painting so I was pretty proud of this.

But then when my three-year-old moved into the room and discovered how cool it is to draw on the walls, this is what happened (this shot is taken along the wall above his bunk):

I've decided to move all three boys into the larger bedroom and give my daughter the smaller room for privacy. But with walls that nasty, I couldn't just move her in there--something had to be done. So I also decided to paint.

Now, I know I've looked cuter in my life . . .

This was all on Monday night. After getting half of the project done, this is what the room looked like:

That's a pretty drastic difference from done to not done, huh?

Well, Tuesday night Benjamin would not go to sleep, so I didn't get any work done on the room. Tonight, though, I accomplished the other half of the room:

This is, of course, after we moved the bunkbeds to the other wall. Hard to believe, this was the wall with all those scribbles on it. It looks better in real life -- this picture looks kind of yellowy.

After I get the beds put back, the edges touched up, and my daughter's things in, I'll post a final picture showing the end result. I don't know yet what that will be, but I do know it looks a lot nicer without all those marks on the walls. Although I have to say, the kid does have quite an artistic flair. His color choices were quite sophisticated.

But wait . . . where does the title of this blog come in?

Well, first off, click here and read this blog. This week I'm working on dinners to go in that freezer. Yes, and painting at the same time. It all starts to make sense now, doesn't it?

Look at my beautiful freezer! I have hamburger stroganoff (4) vegetarian lasagna
(3) chicken alfredo (4) and chili (4). Tomorrow I will have beef and barley soup and chicken and mushroom mix for quesadillas in there, too. And here's what my kitchen looks like right now:

So, that is why I haven't been writing. I will get back to it, though!

After I sleep for a week . . .

Thank You, Soldiers!

I've always appreciated what our soldiers have done for us, but it wasn't until I became a historical fiction author and began to research war that I understood the fear, anxiety, stress, danger, and downright terror our troops are sometimes called on to endure. Even during times of peace, they deal with homesickness, illness, and cultures that might be hard to understand. How grateful I am that these brave men and women are willing to leave home and family and put themselves in harm's way to keep us safe.

Tonight I had the chance to do a little something to say "thank you" to our soldiers in Iraq. Author Julie Coulter Bellon, in conjunction with the release of her new book "All's Fair," came up with a great way we can all contribute to our men and women in uniform. From now until July 19th, when you go into any Seagull Book along the Wasatch front and donate wrapped candy and/or paperback books, you will be entered into a drawing to win one of Julie's books. I dropped off a sack of books I thought the troops might enjoy, and it made me feel so good to think that I did something that might lighten a soldier's day. Julie will be shipping all donated goods over to Iraq for distribution amongst the troops there. You can learn more about this charity drive and get a list of suggested items to donate at Julie's website.

So, why are you sitting there reading blogs? Go clean off your bookshelf, raid your kids' candy stash, and head in to Seagull right now!

Abel Keogh's Virtual Book Tour

Hey all, I'm participating in Abel Keogh's virtual blog tour for "Room for Two." Read my review here and you can see a list of all the other reviews by clicking here.