The 2013 Brodie Awards!

Every year Main Street Plaza hosts the Brodie Awards in recognition of LDS-themed blogs and books. It's a great opportunity for the greater Mormon community to come together each year, to read each other's writing, and also boost each other's stats. :) For that last reason alone, it is truly an honor just to be nominated--even if you nominate yourself! Which, of course, I did--and likewise encourage my gentle readers to do the same. Nominations are open through Thursday, January 30. Here are my nominees so far. I hope to add more.

Best LDS-Interest Book (Fiction)
My own novel, False Prophet
Dragons in the Book of Mormon by Johnny Townsend
Latter-Gay Saints edited and introduced by Gerald S. Argetsinger, co-edited by Jeff Laver and Johnny Townsend
The Book of Thompson by David Larkin
Dark Deception by Mr. Lawrence Pratt

Best LDS-Interest Book (Non-Fiction)
Exit Strategy by Micah McCallister

Best New Blog
The Utah Honeypot
Hey, Judy

Best Humor/Satire Blog
The Utah Honeypot

Funniest Humor Piece
Church Introduces Gay Deconversion Merit Badge -- Ward Gossip
The Tolerance Trap, Is There Any Hope For Escape? -- The Utah Honeypot

Best Review
Ma-Ha-Nei-Bu-Eebowai -- Letters From A Broad

Best Moving On From Mormonism Story
Scars -- A Post Mormon Life
A Crisis of Faith Redefined -- Thoughts Per Coffee

Most Poignant Personal Story OR Best Erotic/Sexual Piece (Not sure--will let chanson decide.)
I Hate To Say It But I Owe Dr. Laura -- Miss O, ExMormon Mavens

And congratulations to J. Seth Anderson and Michael Ferguson for being named X-Mormons of the Year!

False Prophets, Book of Mormon Zombies, and Nervous Turtles

Kirkus Reviews recently published a review of False Prophet, praising its "lighthearted but rewarding humor" and calling it "blatantly critical of Mormonism." Tee hee! Here's an excerpt:

Carrie’s amateur sleuthing, however, results in the novel’s best sequence: A pregnant prowler, in her third trimester and clad all in black, she doesn’t creep into a crime scene—she waddles. This type of lighthearted but rewarding humor is retained even when Carrie is working with Ryan: During an unofficial undercover gig, he mistakes the expectant mother’s desperate need for a bathroom break as trepidation.

This novel scores big not because of its mystery but due to its pregnant protagonist and her inexorable fortitude. Read more here.

Also, around 30 of us went to see The Book of Mormon on stage here in San Francisco this past weekend. Here's a picture of some of us right after the show and before the "effect" had worn off.

It's true--we really are brainwashed

Afterwards we marched single-file with arms outstretched to Club 93 for even more light-mindedness, also some truth serum.

It was there that we began what would become a weeklong discussion of Mormon-themed cinema and the inevitable comparison of Parker and Stone's musical to efforts like the LDS version of Pride and Prejudice, Duck Beach, and Mobsters and Mormons--works so embarrassingly bad that we're surprised the Brethren haven't locked them away in the church vault along with Joseph's seer stones and the Book of Abraham papyri.

And then--what do you know--we all learned that they've released a new temple movie! Since none of us were worthy enough to attend the premier we were left to speculate--in our own inimitable way. According to the San Francisco Post-Mormons, the new version features the voice of Yoda, a nervous turtle, Pope Francis in the role of Satan, and copious repetitions of the descriptive "bullshit."

And the year's only just begun!

***Nominations for the Brodie Awards are now being collected on Main Street Plaza. Go here to nominate your favorite Ex-Mormon authors and bloggers.***

Dark Deception, False Prophet, And Viagra Ads

Recently my fellow blogger AlexisAR posted that she'd just finished my novel, False Prophet, describing it as "delightful" and "recommending it to everyone." Awe, thanks Alexis!

Also, in the same post, she shared what has to be the perfect poster couple for Viagra. Click here to check them out. I dare you not to feel happy for this pair!

But speaking of great reads, it came to my attention that I'd neglected to blog my review of Dark Deception by Lawrence Pratt. Usually when I review a Mormon Alumni Association book on Amazon, I also blog the review either here or over on Main Street Plaza. Somehow I let poor Larry slip through the cracks.

So here's the review, along with some added comments at the end:

Dark Deception by Lawrence Pratt

The Master for Mormonism

Dark Deception is a great first novel from the talented writer, Lawrence Pratt. It is an engaging story about realistic characters who are trapped within a fictional cult that bears a strong resemblance to Mormonism. The author is obviously familiar with his subject, and presents practically every scenario that may occur within such a closed society. The story begins with the history of the cult from its origin in the 1800's, making it a somewhat slow read at the start. As a writer of Mormon-themed fiction myself, I know how challenging--nearly impossible--it is to write about the Mormons without the aid of a little explanation and backstory. Add to that, Pratt upped the challenge by creating a fictional cult. But don't put this book down! The beginning, while seemingly slow, is an excellent description of how a cult begins and then later evolves. It also lays the groundwork for the remainder of the novel, which is a fast-paced, exciting ride that includes many twists and turns as well as characters who are truly worth rooting for. In this way, Dark Deception is to Mormonism what The Master is to Scientology. As entertaining as it is informative, Pratt has made an important contribution to the body of works on Mormonism, a subject that few people are familiar with. I look forward to reading more from this author.


--While I initially compared Pratt's novel to The Master, it later occurred to me that its pacing is reminiscent of the hilarious spine-tingler, Hot Fuzz--a film that begins innocently in a quaint English village and then all of a sudden erupts into a violent siege that ends with a mythic bang. Buckle yourself into your Barcalounger and prepare to be entertained! 

Dark Deception is available in both print and ebook formats. Order it here.

Then go back here and check out those candidates for the Viagra ad. Aren't they the cutest?!