LDS fiction
Encyclopedia
LDS fiction is an American niche market
of fiction
novel
s featuring themes related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church, see also "Mormon
"). LDS fiction now accounts for more than half the sales of some Latter-day Saint book publishers.
, which was often used in hymns. Notable poetry includes the works of Eliza R. Snow
, Parley P. Pratt
, and W. W. Phelps, along with the published volume of poetry by John Lyon
, The Harp of Zion: A Collection of Poems, Etc. (1853).
This period also produced the first work of LDS fiction, Parley P. Pratt's Dialogue between Joseph Smith and the Devil first published in the New York Herald
in 1844.
was calling for a fine and virtuous "home literature," and proceeded to participate in developing just such a literature. While LDS periodicals were filled with moralistic and faith-promoting stories, poets Josephine Spencer and Augusta Joyce Crocheron published didactic and narrative poems, Charles Walker recited his Southern Utah folk poetry, and Whitney published hymns, lyric poetry, and a book-length poem, Elias, an Epic of the Ages (1904).
Novels were not far behind. Brigham Young's daughter, Susa Young Gates
published a fairly successful novel, John Stevens' Courtship (1909), and B. H. Roberts
wrote a novel, Corianton that was turned into a play performed on Broadway in New York.
This period also produced what may have been the single most successful work of LDS fiction to date, the novel Added Upon
by Nephi Anderson
. Following a man and woman from their pre-earth life, through life on the earth and into the afterlife, Added Upon also served as a model plot for later LDS fictional works, such as the 1970s musical Saturday's Warrior by Lex de Azevedo
.
The literary development in this period then stimulated the development of the first professional LDS publishing company independent of the Church, George Q. Cannon and Sons, now part of Church-owned Deseret Book
.
The "lost" generation included Vardis Fisher
, who won the Harper Prize in 1939 for Children of God: An American Epic (1939); Maurine Whipple, who won the Houghton Mifflin Literary Prize in 1938 and published The Giant Joshua (1941); and Virginia Sorensen, best known for A Little Lower Than the Angels (1942) and what many consider the best Mormon novel to date, The Evening and the Morning (1949), and Miracles on Maple Hill
(1957).
This period is also known for the humorous writing of Samuel W. Taylor
(Heaven Knows Why, 1948) who is nationally known for the short story on which the film The Absent-Minded Professor
was based.
. Larson managed to depart both from the didactic and inward-looking provinciality of the first two periods and the elitist, patronizing provinciality of his contemporaries in the "lost generation." He began in the 1950s to write a unique Mormon poetry of modernist sensibility and skill but also informed and passionate faith.
In fiction, Larson's sensibilities were followed by BYU
professors Douglas Thayer
and Donald R. Marshall, who began to write skillful stories that explored Mormon thought and culture in a critical but fundamentally affirmative way. Marshall was the first to publish collections, The Rummage Sale: Collections and Recollections (1972) and Frost in the Orchard (1977), while Thayer began publishing stories in Brigham Young University Studies and Dialogue
in the mid-1960s, and published his collection of short stories, Under the Cottonwoods, in 1977.
Perhaps the most important work to date from this period is Levi S. Peterson
's redemptive novel, considered by some the best yet by a Mormon, The Backslider (1986). All of Peterson's work explores in some form the conflicts in Mormon experience and popular thought between the Old Testament Jehovah of rewards and punishments and the New Testament Christ of unconditional acceptance and redemptive love.
The development of this new movement was aided by the development of the first academic and literary periodicals, including BYU Studies (1959) and Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
(1966)
This period also saw the development of popular LDS fiction, starting as early as the late 1970s, when the leading LDS publisher, Church-owned Deseret Book
, began publishing fiction, in response to the success of self-published and small-press fiction and the development of independent LDS bookstores. Authors in this wave of popular fiction, including Shirley Sealy, Randy Jernigan, Susan Evans McCloud
, Jack Weyland
, Brenton G. Yorgason
and Blaine M. Yorgason, and Carroll Hofeling Morris, produce new "home literature," following the example set by authors nearly a century earlier.
, Walter Kirn
, Brian Evenson
, and Linda Sillitoe
) or continuing the traditions of the faithful realist movement (including writers like Neal Chandler, Phyllis Barber and Margaret Blair Young
).
Popular LDS fiction has also seen significant increases, especially after the 1990 publication of the first volume of Gerald Lund
's successful The Work and the Glory
historical fiction series. Additional LDS historical fiction series were written, but new trends and sub-genre
s have also emerged. Chris Heimerdinger
produced a popular youth series, Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites
set in the world of the Book of Mormon
, later expanding to include Old and New Testament biblical settings. LDS-oriented humor, such as Robison Wells
' Wake Me When It's Over and Robert Farrell Smith
's Baptists At Our Barbecue, thrives as it gives church members an opportunity to laugh at themselves. Romance
novels from writers like Rachel Ann Nunes
and Anita Stansfield
have been very popular, and mysteries
, westerns and even science fiction now complement novels like Lund's. Some, such as the "Deb Ralston Mystery" series by Anne Wingate
, feature LDS main characters and are published in the mainstream market. Newer LDS fiction tends to be lighter and less likely to contain overtly religious morals in their plots. Instead, stories aimed at entertainment are woven on an LDS backdrop. Since 2000, LDS fiction sales have risen dramatically. At least one LDS publisher, Covenant Communications, claims fiction now accounts for more than half of their sales.
Recently, LDS fiction has cross-pollinated into another new LDS cultural trend, Mormon cinema. Charly, released in 2002, is based on a novel by LDS fiction author Jack Weyland
. Gerald Lund
's Work and the Glory. The first three books of the series have been adapted to movies, each released near Thanksgiving Day
in the years 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Another recent trend is toward popular authors who can write non-LDS fiction that sells well nationally, and whose commitment to religion leads them to write openly Mormon works. Authors such as Randy Jernigan, Dean Hughes
and Anne Perry
have been very successful nationally and internationally, but have then been persuaded by the growth of LDS fiction to write Mormon works.
Perhaps the most prolific and innovative among these (certainly the most widely read and honored) is Orson Scott Card
, who began as a Mormon playwright in the 1970s but then wrote science fiction and fantasy with few Mormon references and reached the very top of his field with Hugo and Nebula Awards two years running in 1986 and 1987 for his books Ender's Game
and Speaker for the Dead
. However he turned back to openly Mormon works, beginning with A Woman of Destiny (also known as Saints) (1984) and continuing with a fantasy series, The Tales of Alvin Maker
based on the life of Joseph Smith; straightforward Mormon science fiction stories in The Folk of the Fringe
(1989); a science fiction series, Homecoming
, based on the Book of Mormon; and a novel of contemporary Mormon domestic (and spiritual) realism, Lost Boys (1992). Card is also the first of the most recent generation of LDS writers to have a book written about his work, Michael R. Collings
's In the Image of God: Theme, Characterization, and Landscape in the Fiction of Orson Scott Card (1990).
In the year 2000 the Marilyn Brown Novel Award
, beginning at AML but now administered by the UVU English Department, began presenting $1000 to the best unpublished novel manuscript of the regional culture. Winners have been Jack Harrell (2000), Jeff Call (2002), Janean Justham (2004), Arianne Cope
(2006), Todd Robert Petersen
(2008), and John Bennion, (2009). The deadline for the competition, open to anyone, is October 1. Mrs. Brown is the author of The Earthkeepers, the first novel to win the AML best novel award in 1981, Wine-Dark Sea of Grass, about the Mountain Meadows Massacre, House on the Sound, a Utah Fine Arts Council award winner, and Ghosts of the Oquirrhs among many other titles. On line search Marilyn McMeen Brown.
and published by Dutton, was rejected by an LDS Church-owned book retailer, Deseret Book
. The retailer explained that a scene of extramarital affection in the book implied adultery
. Evans denied this. Lampooned by some non-Mormons who supposed that the rejection reflected excessive church puritanism
, defenders argue that it shows how seriously LDS book retailers take their self-imposed mission to sell "uplifting" narratives.
This brings up more lingering criticisms of LDS fiction: that real life cannot realistically be portrayed without straying into gritty details that often aren't uplifting or necessarily flattering to the LDS Church. Some critics doubt that LDS fiction can adequately tackle prominent modern issues like drug abuse
, depression
, sexual abuse
, or human failings in local LDS Church leaders. Despite these concerns, some efforts have been made to bring more stark human elements to the LDS niche market, such as LDS psychologist Heath Sommer's dark contemporary mystery The Manufactured Identity.
Some Latter-day Saints criticize LDS fiction for an entirely different reason: that it distracts from more serious religious study. For example, some have decried The Work and the Glory
series, which features many prominent figures in LDS history, as displacing the primary texts of these historical figures. Proponents of LDS fiction deny this and instead argue that expressions of the Mormon culture strengthen Latter-day Saint ties to the church and therefore promote active faith.
Niche market
A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focusing; therefore the market niche defines the specific product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that is intended to impact...
of fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s featuring themes related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church, see also "Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
"). LDS fiction now accounts for more than half the sales of some Latter-day Saint book publishers.
History
Despite its relatively low profile, LDS literature has a long history that begins at the same time as the LDS Church. The history of this literature is generally divided into four periods.Foundations, 1830–1880
While early written works among Mormons were generally non-fiction, including scripture, missionary tracts, and doctrinal literature, this period did see creative efforts also, especially poetryLDS poetry
LDS poetry is poetry written by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about spiritual topics or themes. Latter-day Saints have composed religious poetry since the Church's beginnings in the early 19th century. For Latter-day Saints, poetry is a form of art that can bring the...
, which was often used in hymns. Notable poetry includes the works of Eliza R. Snow
Eliza Roxcy Snow
Eliza Roxcy Snow Young was one of the most celebrated Latter-day Saint women of the nineteenth century. A renowned poet, she chronicled history, celebrated nature and relationships, and expounded scripture and doctrine...
, Parley P. Pratt
Parley P. Pratt
Parley Parker Pratt, Sr. was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1835 until his murder in 1857. He served in the Quorum with his younger brother, Orson Pratt...
, and W. W. Phelps, along with the published volume of poetry by John Lyon
John Lyon (poet)
John Lyon was a nineteenth century Scottish Latter Day Saint poet and hymn writer.-Biography:Born into a poor and illiterate family in Glasgow, Lyon became an apprentice weaver at age nine...
, The Harp of Zion: A Collection of Poems, Etc. (1853).
This period also produced the first work of LDS fiction, Parley P. Pratt's Dialogue between Joseph Smith and the Devil first published in the New York Herald
New York Herald
The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835, and 1924.-History:The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., on May 6, 1835. By 1845 it was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the UnitedStates...
in 1844.
Home literature, 1880–1930
Fiction among LDS Church members first developed in earnest once the Mormons had settled in Utah and developed a degree of prosperity. By the 1880s, Orson F. WhitneyOrson F. Whitney
Orson Ferguson Whitney born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from April 9, 1906 until his death.-Early life:...
was calling for a fine and virtuous "home literature," and proceeded to participate in developing just such a literature. While LDS periodicals were filled with moralistic and faith-promoting stories, poets Josephine Spencer and Augusta Joyce Crocheron published didactic and narrative poems, Charles Walker recited his Southern Utah folk poetry, and Whitney published hymns, lyric poetry, and a book-length poem, Elias, an Epic of the Ages (1904).
Susa Young Gates
300px|thumb|Susa Young Gates, portrait bustSusa Young Gates was a writer, periodical editor, and women's rights advocate in Utah....
published a fairly successful novel, John Stevens' Courtship (1909), and B. H. Roberts
Brigham Henry Roberts
Brigham Henry Roberts was a Mormon leader, historian, and politician who published a six-volume history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was denied a seat as a member of United States Congress because of his practice of plural marriage.- Early life :Roberts was born in...
wrote a novel, Corianton that was turned into a play performed on Broadway in New York.
This period also produced what may have been the single most successful work of LDS fiction to date, the novel Added Upon
Added Upon
Added Upon is the first and most popular novel written by Mormon novelist Nephi Anderson. Originally published in 1898 and significantly enlarged and expanded the 1912 fifth edition, the book was in print until 2005....
by Nephi Anderson
Nephi Anderson
Christian Nephi Anderson was a prolific LDS author and the most well-known from the "Home Literature" period of LDS fiction. His most successful work was his first novel, Added Upon , but his writing career also included short stories, poetry, and non-fiction...
. Following a man and woman from their pre-earth life, through life on the earth and into the afterlife, Added Upon also served as a model plot for later LDS fictional works, such as the 1970s musical Saturday's Warrior by Lex de Azevedo
Lex de Azevedo
Alexis "Lex" de Azevedo is an American Mormon composer, song writer, pianist and singer known primarily for his film scores and his work on the LDS musical Saturday's Warrior.-Biography:...
.
The literary development in this period then stimulated the development of the first professional LDS publishing company independent of the Church, George Q. Cannon and Sons, now part of Church-owned Deseret Book
Deseret Book
Deseret Book is the largest Latter-day Saint book publisher and also owns a chain of LDS bookstores in the western United States. Over 150 people work in its Salt Lake City headquarters...
.
The "lost" generation, 1930–1970
While this "home literature" has continued to be produced ever since, a new generation of LDS writers arose in the mid century, one that was able to be published nationally and gain national recognition, but generally at the expense of close ties to the Church and in rebellion against the provinciality and moralism of "home literature," leading this generation to be called the "lost" generation.The "lost" generation included Vardis Fisher
Vardis Fisher
Vardis Alvero Fisher was a well-respected writer best known for historical novels of the old West and the monumental 12-volume Testament of Man series of novels, depicting the history of humans from cave to civilization....
, who won the Harper Prize in 1939 for Children of God: An American Epic (1939); Maurine Whipple, who won the Houghton Mifflin Literary Prize in 1938 and published The Giant Joshua (1941); and Virginia Sorensen, best known for A Little Lower Than the Angels (1942) and what many consider the best Mormon novel to date, The Evening and the Morning (1949), and Miracles on Maple Hill
Miracles on Maple Hill
Miracles on Maple Hill is a 1956 novel by Virginia Sorenson that won the 1957 Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature.-Plot:...
(1957).
This period is also known for the humorous writing of Samuel W. Taylor
Samuel W. Taylor
Samuel Woolley Taylor was an American novelist, scriptwriter and historian.- Biography :Taylor was born in Provo, Utah to Janet "Nettie" Maria Woolley and John W. Taylor, the son of John Taylor, the late president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
(Heaven Knows Why, 1948) who is nationally known for the short story on which the film The Absent-Minded Professor
The Absent-Minded Professor
The Absent-Minded Professor is a 1961 black-and-white Walt Disney Productions film based on the short story A Situation of Gravity, by Samuel W. Taylor....
was based.
Faithful realism, after 1960
Another shift in LDS fiction occurred in the 1960s, mainly spearheaded by the poet Clinton F. LarsonClinton F. Larson
Clinton Foster Larson was an American poet and playwright and the founding editor of BYU Studies.Larson was born in American Fork, Utah to Clinton Larson and his wife the former Lillian Forter. Larson started college at the University of Utah at age 16 with plans to study medicine...
. Larson managed to depart both from the didactic and inward-looking provinciality of the first two periods and the elitist, patronizing provinciality of his contemporaries in the "lost generation." He began in the 1950s to write a unique Mormon poetry of modernist sensibility and skill but also informed and passionate faith.
In fiction, Larson's sensibilities were followed by BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
professors Douglas Thayer
Douglas Thayer
Douglas H. Thayer is considered one of the foremost fiction writers exploring contemporary Mormon life. He has been called the “Mormon Hemingway” for his straightforward style and powerful prose. Growing up in Provo, Utah, Thayer spent his boyhood largely running free and hunting, fishing, and...
and Donald R. Marshall, who began to write skillful stories that explored Mormon thought and culture in a critical but fundamentally affirmative way. Marshall was the first to publish collections, The Rummage Sale: Collections and Recollections (1972) and Frost in the Orchard (1977), while Thayer began publishing stories in Brigham Young University Studies and Dialogue
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought is an independent quarterly journal of "Mormon thought" that addresses a wide range of issues on Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint Movement....
in the mid-1960s, and published his collection of short stories, Under the Cottonwoods, in 1977.
Perhaps the most important work to date from this period is Levi S. Peterson
Levi S. Peterson
Levi Savage Peterson is a Mormon biographer, essayist and fictionist whose best-known works include the seminal biography of Juanita Brooks, his own autobiography and his novel The Backslider, "standard for the contemporary Mormon novel". He was born and reared in the Mormon community of...
's redemptive novel, considered by some the best yet by a Mormon, The Backslider (1986). All of Peterson's work explores in some form the conflicts in Mormon experience and popular thought between the Old Testament Jehovah of rewards and punishments and the New Testament Christ of unconditional acceptance and redemptive love.
The development of this new movement was aided by the development of the first academic and literary periodicals, including BYU Studies (1959) and Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought is an independent quarterly journal of "Mormon thought" that addresses a wide range of issues on Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint Movement....
(1966)
This period also saw the development of popular LDS fiction, starting as early as the late 1970s, when the leading LDS publisher, Church-owned Deseret Book
Deseret Book
Deseret Book is the largest Latter-day Saint book publisher and also owns a chain of LDS bookstores in the western United States. Over 150 people work in its Salt Lake City headquarters...
, began publishing fiction, in response to the success of self-published and small-press fiction and the development of independent LDS bookstores. Authors in this wave of popular fiction, including Shirley Sealy, Randy Jernigan, Susan Evans McCloud
Susan Evans McCloud
Susan Evans McCloud is an American novelist, author, poet, hymnwriter, and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Biography:McCloud and has lived much of her adult life in Provo, Utah....
, Jack Weyland
Jack Weyland
Jack Arnold Weyland is a professor of physics at Brigham Young University–Idaho and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He is a prolific and well known author of fiction for LDS audiences, including many novels and short stories, mostly placed in contemporary settings...
, Brenton G. Yorgason
Brenton G. Yorgason
Brenton G. "Brent" Yorgason is a Latter-day Saint novelist and writer. Many of his works were written in cooperation with his brother Blaine M. Yorgason.-Biography:...
and Blaine M. Yorgason, and Carroll Hofeling Morris, produce new "home literature," following the example set by authors nearly a century earlier.
Current trends
While current efforts may not mark a new period of LDS literature, an increasing number of LDS writers are publishing nationally from a Mormon perspective, either becoming a new "lost" generation that is estranged from the Church and popular culture (writers such as Judith FreemanJudith Freeman
Judith Freeman is the co-founder and executive director of the New Organizing Institute, or NOI. She worked on the internet operations of the 2004 John Kerry presidential campaign and has served on the new media team of Barack Obama.-Biography:...
, Walter Kirn
Walter Kirn
Walter Kirn is an American novelist, literary critic, and essayist. His latest book is the 2009 memoir Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever.-Overview:...
, Brian Evenson
Brian Evenson
Brian Evenson is an American academic and writer of both literary fiction and popular fiction. He has received degrees from Brigham Young University and the University of Washington . After leaving a teaching position at BYU, he held positions at Oklahoma State University, Syracuse University...
, and Linda Sillitoe
Linda Sillitoe
Linda Buhler Sillitoe was an American journalist, poet and historian. She is best known for her journalistic coverage about Mark Hofmann and the "Mormon forgery murders." Her subsequent book Salamander, coauthored with Allen Roberts, examined Hofmann's creation of an industry for forged...
) or continuing the traditions of the faithful realist movement (including writers like Neal Chandler, Phyllis Barber and Margaret Blair Young
Margaret Blair Young
Margaret Blair Young is an American author, filmmaker and writing instructor affiliated with Brigham Young University.- Biography :Young is married to English professor Bruce Young...
).
Popular LDS fiction has also seen significant increases, especially after the 1990 publication of the first volume of Gerald Lund
Gerald Lund
Gerald Niels Lund was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2002 to 2008. During his tenure, he lived in Solihull, England for 3 years. He currently lives in Bountiful, Utah and serves in Salt Lake City...
's successful The Work and the Glory
The Work and the Glory
The Work and the Glory is a nine-part novel series by Gerald N. Lund chronicling the birth and early growth of Mormonism through the lives of the fictional Steed family. The Steeds, throughout the series, meet and come to know well many of the prominent early Church members...
historical fiction series. Additional LDS historical fiction series were written, but new trends and sub-genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s have also emerged. Chris Heimerdinger
Chris Heimerdinger
Chris Heimerdinger is an American author and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who has written sixteen novels for young people and adults, the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series, most of which center on religious themes familiar to Latter-day Saints.-Early life:Heimerdinger's...
produced a popular youth series, Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites
Tennis Shoes Adventure Series
The Tennis Shoes Adventure Series is a series of LDS fiction novels written by Chris Heimerdinger and most widely read by young adult members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.There are eleven books in the series so far:...
set in the world of the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
, later expanding to include Old and New Testament biblical settings. LDS-oriented humor, such as Robison Wells
Robison Wells
Robison Wells is an American novelist. He currently lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife and three children. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his novels are directed to the LDS fiction market...
' Wake Me When It's Over and Robert Farrell Smith
Robert Farrell Smith
Robert Ferrell Smith is a Latter-day Saint humor writer. He is also alleged to be the author who uses the pseudonym Obert Skye however this connection seems only loosely documented.Smith and his wife Krista are the parents of three children...
's Baptists At Our Barbecue, thrives as it gives church members an opportunity to laugh at themselves. Romance
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
novels from writers like Rachel Ann Nunes
Rachel Ann Nunes
Rachel Ann Nunes is a United States best selling author born in Provo, Utah. She authored two award-winning picture books, Daughter of a King and The Secret of the King. The book Daughter of a King was voted best children’s book of the year in 2003 by the Association of Independent LDS Booksellers...
and Anita Stansfield
Anita Stansfield
Anita Stansfield is an American Latter-day Saint romance novelist. She is the LDS market's best-selling romance novelist, with sales of nearly half a million.Stansfield was born in Provo, Utah...
have been very popular, and mysteries
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
, westerns and even science fiction now complement novels like Lund's. Some, such as the "Deb Ralston Mystery" series by Anne Wingate
Anne Wingate
Anne Wingate, born in 1943 as Martha Anne Guice, is a mystery writer currently living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Most of her mysteries are set somewhere within Texas. She is an adult convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and this sometimes shows in her works...
, feature LDS main characters and are published in the mainstream market. Newer LDS fiction tends to be lighter and less likely to contain overtly religious morals in their plots. Instead, stories aimed at entertainment are woven on an LDS backdrop. Since 2000, LDS fiction sales have risen dramatically. At least one LDS publisher, Covenant Communications, claims fiction now accounts for more than half of their sales.
Recently, LDS fiction has cross-pollinated into another new LDS cultural trend, Mormon cinema. Charly, released in 2002, is based on a novel by LDS fiction author Jack Weyland
Jack Weyland
Jack Arnold Weyland is a professor of physics at Brigham Young University–Idaho and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He is a prolific and well known author of fiction for LDS audiences, including many novels and short stories, mostly placed in contemporary settings...
. Gerald Lund
Gerald Lund
Gerald Niels Lund was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2002 to 2008. During his tenure, he lived in Solihull, England for 3 years. He currently lives in Bountiful, Utah and serves in Salt Lake City...
's Work and the Glory. The first three books of the series have been adapted to movies, each released near Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
in the years 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Another recent trend is toward popular authors who can write non-LDS fiction that sells well nationally, and whose commitment to religion leads them to write openly Mormon works. Authors such as Randy Jernigan, Dean Hughes
Dean Hughes
Dean Hughes is a prominent author of historical novels and children's books.-Biography:Dean Hughes was born in Ogden, Utah on August 24, 1943. He started telling people in junior high that he was going to be a writer, but he did not become serious until he took a creative writing class in high...
and Anne Perry
Anne Perry
Anne Perry is an English author of historical detective fiction. Perry was convicted of the murder of her friend's mother in 1954.-Early life:Born Juliet Marion Hulme in Blackheath, London, the daughter of Dr...
have been very successful nationally and internationally, but have then been persuaded by the growth of LDS fiction to write Mormon works.
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
, who began as a Mormon playwright in the 1970s but then wrote science fiction and fantasy with few Mormon references and reached the very top of his field with Hugo and Nebula Awards two years running in 1986 and 1987 for his books Ender's Game
Ender's Game
Ender's Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story "Ender's Game", published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional...
and Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card and an indirect sequel to the novel Ender's Game. This book takes place around the year 5270, some 3,000 years after the events in Ender's Game...
. However he turned back to openly Mormon works, beginning with A Woman of Destiny (also known as Saints) (1984) and continuing with a fantasy series, The Tales of Alvin Maker
The Tales of Alvin Maker
The Tales of Alvin Maker is a series of novels by Orson Scott Card that revolve around the experiences of a young man, Alvin Miller, who discovers he has incredible powers for creating and shaping things around him...
based on the life of Joseph Smith; straightforward Mormon science fiction stories in The Folk of the Fringe
The Folk of the Fringe
The Folk of the Fringe is a collection of post-apocalyptic stories by American writer Orson Scott Card. These stories are set sometime in the near future, when World War III has left America in ruins. The stories are about how a few groups of Mormons struggle to survive...
(1989); a science fiction series, Homecoming
Homecoming Saga
The Homecoming Saga is a science fiction series by Orson Scott Card. The series is patterned on the Book of Mormon. Some of the names also come from the Book of Mormon....
, based on the Book of Mormon; and a novel of contemporary Mormon domestic (and spiritual) realism, Lost Boys (1992). Card is also the first of the most recent generation of LDS writers to have a book written about his work, Michael R. Collings
Michael R. Collings
Michael Robert Collings is an author, poet, literary critic, and bibliographer, and a former professor of creative writing and literature at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He was Poet in Residence at Pepperdine's Seaver College from 1997-2000...
's In the Image of God: Theme, Characterization, and Landscape in the Fiction of Orson Scott Card (1990).
In the year 2000 the Marilyn Brown Novel Award
Marilyn Brown Novel Award
The Marilyn Brown Novel Award is an occasional award given to the best unpublished novel focusing on realistic cultural experiences of the Utah Region submitted for consideration. The award includes a $1000 honorarium....
, beginning at AML but now administered by the UVU English Department, began presenting $1000 to the best unpublished novel manuscript of the regional culture. Winners have been Jack Harrell (2000), Jeff Call (2002), Janean Justham (2004), Arianne Cope
Arianne Cope
Arianne Cope is a Latter-day Saint novelist.Cope has written many articles for such LDS Church publications as the New Era.Cope has been a recipient of the Marilyn Brown Novel Award from the Association for Mormon Letters for her novel The Coming of Elijah...
(2006), Todd Robert Petersen
Todd Robert Petersen
Todd Robert Petersen was born in Moses Lake, Washington on August 17, 1969. He is a fiction writer and an academic currently based at Southern Utah University. He and his wife Alisa have two children....
(2008), and John Bennion, (2009). The deadline for the competition, open to anyone, is October 1. Mrs. Brown is the author of The Earthkeepers, the first novel to win the AML best novel award in 1981, Wine-Dark Sea of Grass, about the Mountain Meadows Massacre, House on the Sound, a Utah Fine Arts Council award winner, and Ghosts of the Oquirrhs among many other titles. On line search Marilyn McMeen Brown.
Controversies about LDS fiction
In 2002 The Last Promise, a novel by LDS fiction writer Richard Paul EvansRichard Paul Evans
Richard Paul Evans is an American author.-Biography:Evans graduated from Cottonwood High School in Salt Lake City. He graduated with a B.A. degree from the University of Utah in 1984. While working as an advertising executive he wrote a Christmas story for his children...
and published by Dutton, was rejected by an LDS Church-owned book retailer, Deseret Book
Deseret Book
Deseret Book is the largest Latter-day Saint book publisher and also owns a chain of LDS bookstores in the western United States. Over 150 people work in its Salt Lake City headquarters...
. The retailer explained that a scene of extramarital affection in the book implied adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
. Evans denied this. Lampooned by some non-Mormons who supposed that the rejection reflected excessive church puritanism
Religious fanaticism
Religious fanaticism is fanaticism related to a person's, or a group's, devotion to a religion. However, religious fanaticism is a subjective evaluation defined by the culture context that is performing the evaluation. What constitutes fanaticism in another's behavior or belief is determined by the...
, defenders argue that it shows how seriously LDS book retailers take their self-imposed mission to sell "uplifting" narratives.
This brings up more lingering criticisms of LDS fiction: that real life cannot realistically be portrayed without straying into gritty details that often aren't uplifting or necessarily flattering to the LDS Church. Some critics doubt that LDS fiction can adequately tackle prominent modern issues like drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
, or human failings in local LDS Church leaders. Despite these concerns, some efforts have been made to bring more stark human elements to the LDS niche market, such as LDS psychologist Heath Sommer's dark contemporary mystery The Manufactured Identity.
Some Latter-day Saints criticize LDS fiction for an entirely different reason: that it distracts from more serious religious study. For example, some have decried The Work and the Glory
The Work and the Glory
The Work and the Glory is a nine-part novel series by Gerald N. Lund chronicling the birth and early growth of Mormonism through the lives of the fictional Steed family. The Steeds, throughout the series, meet and come to know well many of the prominent early Church members...
series, which features many prominent figures in LDS history, as displacing the primary texts of these historical figures. Proponents of LDS fiction deny this and instead argue that expressions of the Mormon culture strengthen Latter-day Saint ties to the church and therefore promote active faith.
Notable LDS fiction writers
- Glenn BeckGlenn BeckGlenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
, a popular political commentator, has written a bestselling fiction book based on his childhood, The Christmas Sweater and a political thriller, The Overton WindowThe Overton WindowThe Overton Window is a political thriller by political commentator Glenn Beck. The book, written with the assistance of contributing writers, was first released on June 15, 2010.-Plot:...
(2010). - Orson Scott CardOrson Scott CardOrson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
, the popular mainstream science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
author of the Ender's GameEnder's GameEnder's Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story "Ender's Game", published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional...
series, is sometimes called an LDS fiction writer. Card wrote the Women of GenesisSarah (Women of Genesis series)Sarah: Women of Genesis is the first novel in The Women of Genesis series by Orson Scott Card.-Plot introduction:Sarah follows the story of Abraham through the eyes and perspective of Sarah. The Biblical account of the life of Sarah is contained in Genesis 12 - 22 most of which is centered...
series, based on people in the Old TestamentOld TestamentThe Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
. These books, not uniquely Mormon are also popular in the Jewish community. Another Book, SaintsSaints (novel)Saints is a historical fiction novel by Orson Scott Card. It tells the story of the fictional protagonist, Dinah Kirkham, a native of Manchester, England, who immigrates to the United States and becomes one of the plural wives of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement.Saints was...
(also known as A Woman of Destiny) deals with Mormon pioneers. Additionally, Card's Homecoming SagaHomecoming SagaThe Homecoming Saga is a science fiction series by Orson Scott Card. The series is patterned on the Book of Mormon. Some of the names also come from the Book of Mormon....
series of books is patterned on the Book of MormonBook of MormonThe Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. - Brandon SandersonBrandon SandersonBrandon Sanderson is an American fantasy author. A Nebraska native, he currently resides in American Fork, Utah. He earned his Master's degree in Creative Writing in 2005 from Brigham Young University, where he was on the staff of Leading Edge, a semi-professional speculative fiction magazine...
is the author of fantasy novel ElantrisElantrisElantris is a stand-alone fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson, published in April 2005 by Tor Books. Brandon is planning to write a sequel to Elantris, but its release has not yet been announced. It is significant as Sanderson's first widely released book. The book is named after the ruined city,...
(which is a allegorical retelling of the story of the Fall of Man and the Plan of SalvationPlan of salvationAccording to doctrine of the Latter Day Saint movement, the plan of salvation is a plan that God created to save, redeem, and exalt humankind...
, leading to ExaltationExaltation (Mormonism)Exaltation or Eternal Life is a belief among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that mankind can return to live in God's presence and continue as families. Exaltation is believed to be what God desires for all humankind. The LDS Church teaches that through exaltation...
, but with generally religious, or ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, thematic material that is less specifically LDS in character) and the Mistborn series (in which LDS comsologyMormon cosmologyMormon cosmology is the description of the history, evolution, and destiny of the physical and metaphysical universe according to Mormonism, which includes the doctrines taught by leaders and theologians of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , Mormon fundamentalism, the Restoration...
and theologyTheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
are integral to both setting and plot, specifically the doctrines of "worlds without end", the plan of salvation, the War in Heaven, ExaltationExaltation (Mormonism)Exaltation or Eternal Life is a belief among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that mankind can return to live in God's presence and continue as families. Exaltation is believed to be what God desires for all humankind. The LDS Church teaches that through exaltation...
, and the plurality of godsPlurality of godsPlurality of gods usually refers to a unique concept taught by Joseph Smith and several other leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is believed to be based on interpretations of the Bible, the Book of Abraham, the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr...
) as well as the final books of The non-LDS Wheel of TimeWheel of timeThe Wheel of time or wheel of history is a concept found in several religious traditions and philosophies, notably religions of Indian origin such as Hinduism and Buddhism, which regard time as cyclical and consisting of repeating ages...
Series originally penned by Robert JordanRobert JordanRobert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. , under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.-Biography:Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina...
(with strong elements of BuddhismBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, TaoismTaoismTaoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
and other Eastern religionEastern religionThis article is about far east and Indian religions. For other eastern religions see: Eastern_world#Eastern_cultureEastern religions refers to religions originating in the Eastern world —India, China, Japan and Southeast Asia —and thus having dissimilarities with Western religions...
). - Richard Paul EvansRichard Paul EvansRichard Paul Evans is an American author.-Biography:Evans graduated from Cottonwood High School in Salt Lake City. He graduated with a B.A. degree from the University of Utah in 1984. While working as an advertising executive he wrote a Christmas story for his children...
, an author most famous for his story The Christmas BoxThe Christmas BoxThe Christmas Box is an American novel written by Richard Paul Evans and self-published in 1993. A Christmas story purportedly written for his children, the book was advertised locally by Evans, who was working at the time as an advertising executive. He placed the book in Utah stores and it...
which has crossover appeal, also wrote a book The Last Promise which was rejected by Deseret Book for possibly questionable content. - Jerry Borrowman, writes co-authored biography and historical fiction. Three Against Hitler with Rudi Wobbe is an award winning autobiography of three LDS youth in Nazi Germany,and earned the authors the National Medal of Honor from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. His four-part series, 'Til the Boys Come Home features World War I and World War II military fiction. His first non-military book One Last Chance is set in the Great Depression. Life and Death at Hoover Dam is historical fiction meticulously researched to convey the drama of building the dam from 1931-1935.
- Betsy Brannon GreenBetsy Brannon GreenBetsy Brannon Green is a Latter Day Saint mystery/suspense novelist. In 2010 she was nominated for a Whitney Award for her mystery–suspense novel, Murder by the Book.-External links:*...
writes mysteryMystery fictionMystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
and loveRomance novelThe romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
stories set in a fictional GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
community. - Shannon HaleShannon HaleShannon Hale is an American author of young adult fantasy and adult fiction.-Biography:Shannon Hale is the author of ten novels, including the best-selling Newbery Honor book Princess Academy, the "Books of Bayern" series, two adult novels, and two graphic novels that she and her husband co-wrote...
writes young adult fiction. She won the Newbery Honor award for Princess AcademyPrincess AcademyPrincess Academy is a fantasy novel exploring themes of families, relationships and education by Shannon Hale published on June 16, 2005 by Bloomsbury. It tells the story of fourteen-year-old Miri who attends a princess academy which will determine who wins the hand of the prince...
in 2006, and the Utah State Book Award for Goose Girl in 2003. - Jennie HansenJennie HansenJennie Hansen is a Latter Day Saint fiction author whose publications include newspaper and magazines articles, news stories, editorials, short stories, reviews of other LDS author's work, and twelve novels. She also is a frequent speaker at firesides, conferences, and literary groups.Hansen was...
has received numerous writing awards from the Utah and National Federation of Press Women (1978), and was the 1997 third place winner of the URWA Heart of the West Writers Contest for Some Sweet Day. - Tracy HickmanTracy HickmanTracy Raye Hickman is a best-selling fantasy author, best known for his work on Dragonlance as a game designer and co-author with Margaret Weis, while he worked for TSR...
is a best-selling fantasy author, best known for his work on Dragonlance as a game designer and co-author with Margaret Weis, while he worked for TSR. They also wrote the Darksword trilogy, the Death Gate Cycle, and the Sovereign Stone trilogy. Tracy Hickman was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. He married Laura Curtis in 1977, and together they have four children. - Chris HeimerdingerChris HeimerdingerChris Heimerdinger is an American author and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who has written sixteen novels for young people and adults, the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series, most of which center on religious themes familiar to Latter-day Saints.-Early life:Heimerdinger's...
has authored over a dozen books, most of which are considered young adult novels. The most successful of these are the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series where youth are transported back to the times of the NephiteNephiteAccording to the Book of Mormon, a Nephite is a member of one of the four main groups of settlers of the ancient Americas. The other three groups are the Lamanites, Jaredites and Mulekites. In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites were a group of people descended from or associated with Nephi, the...
s, an ancient American Hebrew civilization according to the Book of MormonBook of MormonThe Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. The original Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites was published in 1989, and nearly one million Heimerdinger titles have been sold through 2004. One of his stories, Passage to ZarahemlaPassage to ZarahemlaPassage to Zarahemla is an adventure film directed and written by Chris Heimerdinger. It tells the story of a young pair of siblings seeking to find a new life following the abrupt death of their mother. Their exploits lead them to a relative's home in Utah and eventually a thrilling...
, was released as a film in 2007. - Joni Hilton is the author of fifteen books, holds a master of fine arts degree in writing from USC, is an award-winning playwright, and is frequently published in major magazines.
- Dean HughesDean HughesDean Hughes is a prominent author of historical novels and children's books.-Biography:Dean Hughes was born in Ogden, Utah on August 24, 1943. He started telling people in junior high that he was going to be a writer, but he did not become serious until he took a creative writing class in high...
is a BYUBrigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
professor and author of nearly one hundred LDS and national-audience books. In 1979 he published his first LDS novel, Under the Same Stars. Hughes is noted for LDS historical fictionHistorical novelAccording to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
. His Children of Promise and Hearts of the Children series take place during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the 1960s forward, respectively. - Gerald LundGerald LundGerald Niels Lund was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2002 to 2008. During his tenure, he lived in Solihull, England for 3 years. He currently lives in Bountiful, Utah and serves in Salt Lake City...
, author of the nine-book The Work and the GloryThe Work and the GloryThe Work and the Glory is a nine-part novel series by Gerald N. Lund chronicling the birth and early growth of Mormonism through the lives of the fictional Steed family. The Steeds, throughout the series, meet and come to know well many of the prominent early Church members...
series, is one of the most prominent LDS fiction authors. Since his first book in 1990, over two million copies from the series have been sold. The lengthy historical fictionHistorical novelAccording to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
narratives about a family struggling through early anti-MormonAnti-MormonAnti-Mormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed at members of the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
persecution sell especially well as books on tape. The first book in the series has been made into a movie, released in 2004. It was the most anticipated and expensive Mormon cinema film to date, with a budget of over $7.4 million.
- Stephenie MeyerStephenie MeyerStephenie Meyer is an American author known for her vampire romance series Twilight. The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition and sold over 100 million copies globally, with translations into 37 different languages...
, author of the Twilight seriesTwilight seriesTwilight is a series of four vampire-themed fantasy romance novels by American author Stephenie Meyer. It charts a period in the life of Isabella "Bella" Swan, a teenage girl who moves to Forks, Washington, and falls in love with a 104-year-old vampire named Edward Cullen...
, belongs to the LDS Church. The Twilight Series is written for a general audience, though Mormon beliefs are apparent in the work. For example, the main character desires to practice abstinence before marriage (although this is common to all Christian denominations, and in no way is unique to Mormonism). - Brandon MullBrandon MullBrandon Mull is an American writer who is best known as the author of the Fablehaven fantasy series, which is a New York Times' bestseller. Mull has also written The Candy Shop War...
authored the book FablehavenFablehavenFablehaven is The New York Times best-selling children's literature fantasy series written by Brandon Mull. The book series, which includes Fablehaven, Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star, Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague, Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, and Fablehaven: Keys to...
and its sequels Rise of the Evening StarFablehavenFablehaven is The New York Times best-selling children's literature fantasy series written by Brandon Mull. The book series, which includes Fablehaven, Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star, Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague, Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, and Fablehaven: Keys to...
and The Grip of the Shadow PlagueFablehavenFablehaven is The New York Times best-selling children's literature fantasy series written by Brandon Mull. The book series, which includes Fablehaven, Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star, Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague, Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, and Fablehaven: Keys to...
. He has also written The Candy Shop WarThe Candy Shop WarThe Candy Shop War is a fantasy novel by Brandon Mull.-Preview:What if there were a place where you could get magical candy? Moon rocks that made you feel weightless. Jawbreakers that made you unbreakable. Or candy that gave animals temporary human intelligence and communication skills...
. - Lee Nelson was a public relations and advertising copywriter before his first book was published in 1979. Lee is best known for his Storm Testament series of historical novels (nine volumes), and his Beyond the Veil series (four volumes). Lee is well known for his authentic research, which includes killing a buffaloBisonMembers of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
from the back of a galloping horseHorseThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
with a bowBow (weapon)The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...
and arrowArrowAn arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:...
, crossing the Green River many times on horseback, and riding with MongoliaMongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n nomads while gathering research for an upcoming book. - Rachel Ann NunesRachel Ann NunesRachel Ann Nunes is a United States best selling author born in Provo, Utah. She authored two award-winning picture books, Daughter of a King and The Secret of the King. The book Daughter of a King was voted best children’s book of the year in 2003 by the Association of Independent LDS Booksellers...
writes LDS fiction novels, focusing mainly on clean romances. She has published about 25 books. - Clair M. PoulsonClair M. PoulsonClair M. Poulson uses his experience with law enforcement and the justice system when he writes novels. Because of his personal experience he is able to accurately portray characters and real life settings....
is an LDS writer of mysteryMystery fictionMystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
suspenseSuspenseSuspense is a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety about the outcome of certain actions, most often referring to an audience's perceptions in a dramatic work. Suspense is not exclusive to fiction, though. Suspense may operate in any situation where there is a lead-up to a big event or dramatic...
novels. - Anita Stansfield is a relatively edgy LDS fiction writer who concentrates on chasteSexual abstinenceSexual abstinence is the practice of refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity for medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical or religious reasons.Common reasons for practicing sexual abstinence include:*poor health - medical celibacy...
LDS romance novelRomance novelThe romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
s. Her work is popular with many LDS and non-LDS readers. In some of her 25 books published since 1994 are themes like coping with cancerCancerCancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, domestic violenceDomestic violenceDomestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
, rapeRapeRape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, and adoptionAdoptionAdoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
. Indeed, one historical fiction novel, though not explicitly LDS-themed, was rejected from Covenant Communications, an LDS publisher, for reference to an out-of-wedlock baby. - Brady UdallBrady UdallBrady Udall is an American novelist. In 2010, he was appointed Writer-in-Residence of Idaho, a position he will hold until 2013.-Biography:Udall grew up in a large Mormon family in St. Johns, Arizona. He graduated from Brigham Young University and later attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the...
published a novel with a fundamental Mormon protagonist, The Lonely Polygamist, in 2010. - Rick Walton writes picture books, with many books focused on fun with the English language. He has been writing since 1987 and teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University as part-time faculty.
- Robison WellsRobison WellsRobison Wells is an American novelist. He currently lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife and three children. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his novels are directed to the LDS fiction market...
is a LDS humorist whose novels have met with great critical praise. His most recent works combine suspense and humor. - Linda Paulson Adams writes novels set in a futuristic world nearing the Second Coming. She won an AML Award in 2002 for her short story, "First," Cornerstone Publishing's Fiction Book of the Year 2000, and several honorable mentions for her poetry.
- Jack WeylandJack WeylandJack Arnold Weyland is a professor of physics at Brigham Young University–Idaho and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He is a prolific and well known author of fiction for LDS audiences, including many novels and short stories, mostly placed in contemporary settings...
authored Charly, an early LDS fiction published in 1980. The story is romance between a BYUBrigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
student and a non-Mormon from New York. Weyland now has a trilogy of books based on the characters and has written other novels in his lighthearted humorous style. Charly was made into a movie released in 2002. - Blaine M. Yorgason has written over seventy published works.
- Lance Richardson is an LDS author who wrote several stories based mostly on his own experience with his family, and struggling with his health. The most notable of which is The Message.
- Jack Lyon is an LDS author who wrote "The Moroni Code" and several other LDS fiction stories.
See also
- A Motley VisionA Motley VisionA Motley Vision is an online multi-author blog featuring criticism of the Mormon arts, LDS literature and film in particular. It was launched by William Morris on June 2, 2004...
, an LDS criticism blog - AML AwardsAML AwardsThe AML Awards are given annually by the Association for Mormon Letters to the best work "by, for, and about Mormons."The award categories vary from year to year depending on what the AML decides is worthy of honor.-1977:Criticism...
and Whitney AwardsWhitney AwardsThe Whitney Awards are awards given annually for novels by LDS authors. The Whitney Awards are a semi-independent non-profit organization affiliated with the LDStorymakers, a guild for LDS authors.-Categories:There are currently seven genre categories:...
, awards for LDS literature - Association for Mormon LettersAssociation for Mormon LettersThe Association for Mormon Letters is a nonprofit founded in 1976 to promote quality writing "by, for, and about Mormons." The broadness of this definition of Mormon literature has led the AML to focus on a wide variety of work that has sometimes been neglected in the Mormon community...
- John D. FitzgeraldJohn D. FitzgeraldJohn Dennis Fitzgerald was an American author.Fitzgerald was born in Price, Utah, the son of an Irish Catholic father and a Scandinavian Mormon mother...
, for his The Great BrainThe Great BrainThe Great Brain is a series of children's books by American author John Dennis Fitzgerald . Set in the fictitious small town of Adenville, Utah, between 1896 and 1898, the stories are loosely based on Fitzgerald's childhood experiences. Although John D...
series - LDS PoetryLDS poetryLDS poetry is poetry written by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about spiritual topics or themes. Latter-day Saints have composed religious poetry since the Church's beginnings in the early 19th century. For Latter-day Saints, poetry is a form of art that can bring the...
- Mormon Literature & Creative ArtsMormon Literature & Creative ArtsMormon Literature & Creative Arts is a database of Latter-day Saint media and creators. It contains entries on film, music, and writings, as well as directors, composers, and writers...
, a Mormon works database - Mormon literatureMormon literatureMormon literature is generally considered to begin a few years before the March 1830 publication of the Book of Mormon. Since this time Mormon literature has grown to include more scripture, histories, fiction, biographies, poetry, hymns, drama and other forms.-See also:* A Motley Vision*...
External links
- "Novel Ideas" - June 25, 2004 Deseret News article about LDS fiction.
- Mormonfiction.com -
- The Low-Tech World, a Mormon literature blog