Baby it’s cold outside…

The other Christmas decorations are put away, but I let the snowmen stay out
until Valentine’s Day. This one is ready to start his garden, but the ground is rock hard!

In the news

I was awake (too) early this morning when a light flashed across my bedroom door. This is unusual because of the layout of my house and the fact that I’m on the second floor. I was waiting for our newspaper, The Deseret News, who had reviewed Newell’s book. Wondering if it might be the headlights of the newspaper deliverer, I grabbed my coat and boots and found the paper in the driveway. Eagerly I opened the paper and found the article. It was a good review and we are grateful for the exposure. We have been struggling and were hoping for “a break.”

Newell and I met twenty years ago at a single adult dance in Bakersfield. We were both divorced and lonely. We liked each other immediately. After spending time together, we decided to marry and try to blend our six children into a family; later adding one more to the mix. We have great kids, and have worked really hard – but it’s been a difficult road. We are grateful for the support we’ve had from family and friends and look forward to brighter days ahead. I’d like to see COMMODORE FARMER made into a movie. Its good entertainment with a focus on ethics, intelligence and integrity. If you haven’t read it yet, please check it out, I think you’ll enjoy it!

FROM THE DESERET NEWS:

January 8, 2011

Gene N. McMurtry’s new eBook, “Commodore Farmer,” is an intergalactic science fiction adventure with some unexpected twists and turns.

“COMMODORE FARMER,” by Gene McMurty, AKW Books, $6.50, 431 pages (f)

“Commodore Farmer,” Utah author Gene McMurtry’s first science fiction ebook, is an intergalactic adventure of intrigue, deception, suspense and the victory of good over evil.

The story begins with the interplanetary wedding of Prince Westmoreland “Wesley” James Andrew Ayr am-Spotsylvania and Princess Alicia Tsinndorf — heroes and heirs to the thrones of two neighboring planets.

The wedding provides a vehicle for the author to introduce many of the main characters, which include the wedding couple; Archbishop Stilton “Stilt” Farnsworth Canterbury am-Oceanside, a treacherous villain; and an assortment of other important members of the royal families.

For years, the archbishop has schemed for ways to rule the planets of Spotsylvania and Tsinndorf. His plan involves an extensive spy ring, bribery, lying, deaths by poisoning, and the kidnapping of Karl, the heir apparent — son of Wesley and Alicia.

Karl is the namesake of Commodore Karl J. Wahlenmaier, a terraformer — one who creates earthlike environments on un-earthlike planets. The book’s title comes from his nickname, Commodore Farmer. Walenmaier keeps a low profile, but has impressive resources and connections; he is not who he appears to be.

Will Stilt achieve his goal of interplanetary power? Will Karl be reunited with his parents? Just who is Commodore Karl J. Wahlenmaier? As the tale twists and turns to its end, these and other questions are answered in some unexpected ways.

“Commodore Farmer” is definitely G-rated. References to God, prayer, fasting and church attendance are made in subtle, positive ways. The heroes live by high moral values.

A few typos — along with spelling and punctuation errors sprinkled throughout the book — are annoying, but don’t get in the way of the story.

McMurtry, who lives in Kaysville, has a self-proclaimed, decades-long passion for science fiction and is a science buff with degrees in biology and human nutrition. According to the author’s website, the science used in the book is real.

Review by Rosemarie Howard. Her website is at www.dramaticdimensions.com.

To buy COMMODORE FARMER or read a free sample please visit:

http://www.akwbooks.com/BookStore/catalog/Commodore-Farmer-p-28.html