Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites

A MODERN ADVENTURE IN AN ANCIENT LAND

Jim Hawkins has a bad attitude. What's more, he enjoys having a bad attitude about everything -- especially about church.

Garth Plimpton is a fanatic. He's spent so much time studying the scriptures and thick books on archeology that he can't carry on a normal conversation with other kids. That's why they consider him a nerd.

Through an unusual chain of events, these two opposites become fast friends. It all began when Garth told Jim a simple truth:

"They really existed once, you know."

"Who?" Jim asked.

"Nephites," Garth replied. "Every character in the Book of Mormon ate, slept, died, was buried..."

hat statement, taken for granted before, would soon echo deeply in the two boys' minds -- because they were on the trail of a chilling secret. At the root of this secret was a faded Indian legend that old men told children to make their eyes grow big. As Garth and Jim put the pieces of the puzzle together, they accidently stumble upon a mysterious passageway hurling them into another world--an ancient american world.

Join Jim, Garth, and Jim's pesky little sister, Jennifer, as they journey in a land where the names Helaman, Teancum, and Captain Moroni are more than just words on a page. A world where danger and suspence are a way of life...

Tennis Shoes among the Nephites first entered the modern world in 1989. I believe that might have been the year that my mother first purchased the book for me, maybe not. It might have been a few years later, but not much. I was completely and utterly hooked on the book. This book had it all, adventure, romance, suspense, thrill, plus a few more characteristics that I cannot remember at the moment. I devoured this book the moment I read it. When I would read the book of Alma, in the Book of Mormon, I was actually able to understand, and really understand what was going on. Before, I first read this book, Alma was just a book of words. After I read this book, Alma became an adventure. The Title of Liberty that Captain Moroni posted actually meant something. Amalakiah, was a real evil dude. The Prophet Helaman was a kind and loving man, who was so righteous that he was allowed to lead some of the most honorable men that has ever lived. Everything really made sense.

As new additions to the series became published, I flocked to the bookstores to purchase them. I loved each book, and would re-read them over and over. I cherished these books, hoping to one day be able to read them to my children. Then all my books became lost when I moved from Laughlin, NV to Las Vegas, NV. It was a very sad day. I forgot about reading for about 3-4 years, and one of the first books that I purchased again, was...yup, that's right, you guessed it, The Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites, Book 1. I bought this book as a Christmas present for my son, but, well, I had it read long before Christmas ever arrived. I couldn't wait to re-read this wonderful book again, and relive the scenes. As I would finish each book, I would hurry to buy the next. Sometimes finding great deals on Amazon.com, or Borders, but if I was just a few pages from the end and not willing to wait a few days to start the next installment, I'd just go rush to pick up the next book at our local bookstore, Bookworms, here in Thatcher, AZ.

I cannot stress how wondeful these books really are, and if I ever get a chance to sit with the author, Chris Heimerdinger, and pick his brain about the how's, why's, when's, where's and who's of writing these books, I'll be forever greatful!

Thank you Chris for a wonderful series!

Of Witches and Warlocks: The Series

Book One : The Trouble With Spells

Portia Mullins had always lived the life of a normal teenager, up until her sixteenth birthday. She is then informed by her Grandma that she is actually a witch who is a descendant from a long line of witches and warlocks. After overcoming her disbelief she finds that being a member of the coven comes with one great perk in the form of the school's handsome bad boy, Vance Mangum. Vance and Portia have an immediate connection as a budding romance begins, only to be threatened by turbulent skies on the horizon as Vance's checkered past rears its ugly head to haunt them. Portia is forced to use her untried powers in defense of everything she loves in a desperate attempt to hold on to the one thing that really matters in her life.

Book Two: The Demon Kiss

Can someone else's past come back to bite you? After being drained of nearly all the blood in her body, novice witch, Portia Mullins, wakes up to find that her warlock boyfriend, Vance Mangum, has fled in search of his demon father. Determined to keep him from facing the evil alone Portia follows after him, unknowingly setting herself on the path of a new adventure that will take her, Vance, and their coven over international borders, into a foreign place where they will discover that the blakc magic which awaits them is far worse than they ever imagined. Portia finds herself tangled in a web of lies and deceit in another's quest for demonic power .

New author Lacey Weatherford has hit the ground running with her first published series "Of Witches and Warlocks." Her books provide something for every personal preference, romance, drama, action, a little naughtiness (shh, it's ok. we like that!), spells, demons, fangs... and the list goes on and on. Weatherford's first book, The Trouble with Spells introduces us to Portia Mullins and her romantic interest Vance Mangum... mmm... Vance Mangum. Now that's a name for a badboy! Try it with me, Vance... Vance... doesn't he just sound yummy? Don't forget the motorcycle, his sarcastic attitude, and don't forget his awesome body... er... powers. lol. Mr. Mangum was based on the delicious  new hottie on the CW'S new 90210, the one, and only Matt Lanter. If you don't know who he is, check him out. I promise you won't be sorry. The action and adventure continues in the sequal, The Demon Kiss and no, the title has nothing to do with actually kissing a demon... sorry. lol. But trust me, that's exactly... wait! shhh... nevermind. do do do. *whistling* you'll just have to read and find out for yourselves what Weatherford is talking about.

Weatherford does a wonderful job of incorporating little known locations into her story by basing it in Sedona, Arizona, and the surrounding area, then later having the young couple travel to various locations throughout the series. Including Las Vegas, Nevada, Albuquerque, and even a trip south of the border.

Weatherford announced today that she now has the contracts for the next book in the series, "Blood of the White Witch". It is a much anticipated arrival. I don't know about you, but I for one will have one of the first copies off the press... (I'd say i would have the first book, but well, I guess I can allow her to have the first book since she is the one that wrote them! lol).

Well, that's it! I hope you all enjoy this series as much as I have!

Where to start????

I have been working on my new site for the last few weeks, and so I have been thinking a lot about which book I want to start with. Due to being a single mom, I am always looking for a good, cheap book. Something that can launch me into another world, and help me forget my daily troubles. I’m sure there are many out there that can relate. The idea of trying to review only the new books that are coming out, really makes my head spin, since there are always several, if not tons of new released books being released monthly, and the only real way to be able to afford to purchase all of these new books, is to be a millionair, and even then, I don’t think that would be enough money. So, where do I start? Do I start with the book I’m reading now? Do I start with a book I’ve read in the past? Decisions, decisions. Ok, so for me, the task actually isn’t as daunting as it could be, but it’s still a huge undertaking. Unlike some reviewers, I do not plan to only read one specific type, I have a lot of varied interests, so I figure I should review all the books that I am interested in reading: Romance, Smut, Paranormal, Western, Suspense, Thriller, Comedy… The list is endless. Ok, now for the extremely hard part. My memory stinks. Lol. I can read a book then re-read it again, a few months later, and still not remember most of the details in the book until I am actually reading it again. So, with that said, the books that I have read over the last few months (well it’s actually coming close to a year) are possibly on the to be read again pile, which could actually take me several months, or should I just go ahead and review them, and hope I’m remembering the details correctly.


The only good conclusion that I could come up with is, I will just start with the 1st book that I read in this last year. Why only this last year you ask? Because I didn’t read any books for several years before that. At least my list is in a manageable state. My other issue, like I said, is the money issue. So my conclusion for that… I will be reviewing both books that are popular today, along with books that were written, well, since I have started reading books, so this could include classics such as Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne and Charlotte’s Web (Can’t remember the author at the moment. Sleep deprivation is kicking in) along with the new and exciting reads such as Of Witches and Warlocks: The Trouble with Spells by new author Lacey Weatherford. The way I see it, because there are so many books out there to read, no one on earth will have actually read every book published (and if you say you have read them all, I will call you a lier :p) so finding a good book, written today or yesterday is always a good thing. Books do not go out of style, they just age nicely.

With all of that said, I am going to start with one of my recent favorite reads, Of Witches and Warlocks: The Trouble with Spells by Lacey Weatherford.