Saturday, August 8, 2009

Emma Smith after Josephs death

I listened to a podcast today from the mormon radio channel that talks about Emma Hale Smith. The first woman descendant of Joseph and Emma to join the church lives in Montana. There are also 300 of their direct descendants living in Australia. The most interesting part was the stuff that happened to her after Josephs death. She married some guy, who's name I can't remember but he was sort of a character. He chewed tobacco, Swore and drank alchohol. At one point he cheated on her and got another woman pregnant. A couple of years after that the woman came to Emma and asked her to take care of the child. Emma took the child into her home and raised him or her. When she was close to death her son Joseph the third went to her house and interviewed her for several days and she spoke about the gospel and about her testimony. There is a rather interesting account of her death. I do not know why it is so obscure. Here it is.


Emma lived almost thirty-five years after the martyrdom of her Prophet-husband. She died 30 April 1879 in her seventy-fifth year. In her last years she was greatly loved, and in the last hours of her life she was attended by her family: Louis Bidamon, Julia, Joseph III, 26 and Alexander. According to Alexander, Emma seemed to sink away, but then she raised up and stretched out her hand, calling, “Joseph! Joseph!” Falling back on Alexander’s arm, she clasped her hands on her bosom, and her spirit was gone. Both Alexander and Joseph thought she was calling for her son Joseph, but later, Alexander learned more about the incident. Sister Elizabeth Revel, Emma’s nurse, explained that a few days earlier Emma had told her that Joseph came to her in a vision and said, “Emma, come with me, it is time for you to come with me.” “As Emma related it, she said, ‘I put on my bonnet and my shawl and went with him; I did not think that it was anything unusual. I went with him into a mansion, and he showed me through the different apartments of that beautiful mansion.’ And one room was the nursery. In that nursery was a babe in the cradle. She said, ‘I knew my babe, my Don Carlos that was taken from me.’ She sprang forward, caught the child up in her arms, and wept with joy over the child. When Emma recovered herself sufficient she turned to Joseph and said, ‘Joseph, where are the rest of my children.’ He said to her, ‘Emma, be patient and you shall have all of your children.’ Then she saw standing by his side a personage of light, even the Lord Jesus Christ.” 27

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Brandon Sanderson describes his next book

Sounds cool especially the part about the planet being all rock.
Read fake reviews of the book here. http://www.amazon.com/Way-Kings-Brandon-Sanderson/dp/B000WH4TIA

I’ve told Tor that I want to release KINGS on a schedule of two books, followed by one book in another setting, then two more KINGS. The series of KINGS has been named The Stormlight Archive. (The Way of Kings is the name of the first volume.)
So I should be doing plenty of shorter series in between. We’ll see how busy this all keeps me. I think I’d go crazy if I weren’t allowed to do new worlds every now and again.
But, then, KINGS turned out very, very well. (The first book is complete as of yesterday.) What is it about? Well…I’m struggling to find words to explain it. I could easily give a one or two line pitch on my previous books, but the scope of what I’m trying with this novel is such that it defies my attempts to pin it down.
It happens in a world where hurricane-like storms crash over the land every few days. All of plant life and animal life has had to evolve to deal with this. Plants, for instance, have shells they can withdraw into before a storm. Even trees pull in their leaves and branches. There is no soil, just endless fields of rock.
According to the mythology of the world, mankind used to live in The Tranquiline Halls. Heaven. Well, a group of evil spirits known as the Voidbringers assaulted and captured heaven, casting out God and men. Men took root on Roshar, the world of storms, but the Voidbringers chased them there, trying to push them off of Roshar and into Damnation.
The voidbringers came against man a hundred by a hundred times, trying to destroy them or push them away. To help them cope, the Almighty gave men powerful suits of armor and mystical weapons, known as Shardblades. Led by ten angelic Heralds and ten orders of knights known as Radiants, men resisted the Voidbringers ten thousand times, finally winning and finding peace.
Or so the legends say. Today, the only remnants of those supposed battles are the Shardblades, the possession of which makes a man nearly invincible on the battlefield. The entire world, essentially, is at war with itself–and has been for centuries since the Radiants turned against mankind. Kings strive to win more Shardblades, each secretly wishing to be the one who will finally unite all of mankind under a single throne.
That’s the backstory. Probably too much of it. (Sorry.) The book follows a young spearman forced into the army of a Shardbearer, led to war against an enemy he doesn’t understand and doesn’t really want to fight. It will deal with the truth of what happened deep in mankind’s past. Why did the Radiants turn against mankind, and what happened to the magic they used to wield?
I’ve been working on this book for ten years now. Rather than making it easier to describe and explain, that has made it more daunting. I’m sure I’ll get better at it as I revise and as people ask me more often.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

After the bapsism


I don't know what Rachel was thinking. Anyway it was a great day for baptizing people . I even bore my testimony in Sacrament and so did Karissa. Karissa and Jasmine sang a song for the baptismal service too.

Rachel gettting ready to be baptized.

Form fitting Baptism clothes


This is the best the church had for Baptism clothes. They where too form fitting. This is me running away from marci as she takes my picture. I went to a members house to borrow his pants that look less ridiculous. Marci called this picture "The runaway marshemellow man."

my beautiful pig Demon

Kensons's turtle


This one was really ugly while Kenson was making it but it turned out awesome. His turtle is so cute and ugly.

Jasmines Skull


This is a terrifying Skull and a sword and whatever else that is that Jasmine made.

Karissa's animals


Here is Karissa's Duck, Penguin and Dolphin. She is a little disappointed in the color of the Dolphin. I said it looks like it has cancer and she agreed.

gatlins Dragon


Here is the finished version of Gatlins Dragon. He is a ferocious Beastie.