Book events this month

It has been a while, but some book-related events are planned for June. Near the end of the month, Daniel will be in Idaho to promote the book. On Friday the 25th, he will be at The Quad bookstore in Magic Valley Mall in Twin Falls, signing books from 3:00 to 5:00 that afternoon. He will also be giving a fireside at a private residence that evening.

On Saturday the 26th, Daniel will be doing a book signing at The Book Plaza in Burley for 2 hours, starting at ll:00. At 1:00 that afternoon, he will give a fireside at the store. For those of you in Idaho, we invite you to come by, get a book signed, and talk with Daniel.

Click here for info on the Twin Falls event.
Click here for info on the Burley event.

New article on gold plates

The blog has been quiet lately, but there are things going on in the background. Book signings and firesides are being planned for this summer and later in the year. Based on accounts from our publisher and our own efforts, we estimate that over 1300 copies of our book have been sold. Overall, that's a pretty good number for a book like this from a small publisher and market. But we would always like to do more, so check it out if you haven't done so yet.

In the meantime, Daniel has written a new paper on gold plates. This is an exciting topic and one that is at the heart of the Book of Mormon. There is interesting evidence for writing on gold plates from Mesoamerica that isn't discussed much. Read the paper to find out more and see how examples of ancient writing on metal plates from the Old World may relate. The BMAF has published this paper on their site and has asked Daniel to prepare a presentation from it. More news on that will be available as it develops.

The photo below is a fragment of a gold plate found in the well at Chichén Itzá. It has carvings and Mayan hieroglyphs around the edge. Daniel and Jared were able to see it and other artifacts in the archives of the Peabody Museum at Harvard during a research visit a few years ago. Read more in Daniel's paper on gold plates.

Click here to read the article online at the BMAF website.
Click here to download a formatted, multi-page PDF of the article.

Catching up in the new year and a new online article

It has been a while since we have made any posts, so it's time to get caught up. Daniel and Derek attended the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum annual conference last October, which was well attended. There were some well-known speakers who shared some great information. Daniel also did some book signings and firesides. He also put on a fireside in Spanish that was very well attended and enjoyed. Some of the other events did not bring in so many numbers, but stormy weather and the Swine Flu may have kept people away.

Early in December, Daniel was asked to speak at a Spanish fireside in Sacramento. It was put on by the Sacramento Mission and was a very large event with several hundred people attending. Daniel was the concluding speaker, but he had to cut the presentation short, as everything was running late. Still there was a lot of interest and many attendees came up to ask questions and discuss things further. We are trying to put together a fireside and possibly other events in Sacramento this month, so stay tuned!

Our book is now available on a new site: SimplieIndie.com, dedicated to promoting independent authors and musicians. It can be purchased there. Daniel is now among the authors on Goodreads.com. You can read reviews of the book and get the latest on what is going on with events. If you have read our book and have something good to say about it, please visit this site or Amazon.com to post a review. It's quick and free. If you liked the book, we need to get the word out. According to our publisher, over 1000 have been sold, but we would like to get that number up.

Daniel has also written a new paper examining possible Mesoamerican origins for some Book of Mormon names. Obviously, the early names were of Semitic or Hebrew origin, but the longer Nephites, Lamanites, and others lived in the New World, they may have begun using local names. Read the article to see how some names may have looked, written with Mayan glyphs. The BMAF has published it on their site and we have gotten some positive comments on it.











Click here to read the article online at the BMAF website.
Click here to download a formatted, multi-page PDF of the article.
Click here to download a comparison chart of all Book of Mormon names.

Events in Utah this October

Daniel will be going to Utah this month for the annual Book of Mormon Archaeology Forum's annual conference and other book signing events and firesides.

The BMAF's forum will be held at the Red Lion Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City on Friday 17 October. It will be from 9:00-5:30 and there are some great speakers lined up, so there is a lot to learn from the presenters. Daniel will be attending and selling the book in between the sessions. For more information, click this image:

That evening, Daniel will be signing books and answering questions at Seagull Books in Centerville. On Monday 19 October, he will be at Classic Books and Gifts in Lehi. Book signing will be at 4:00 and a fireside will be presented at 5:00. If you are in the area and looking for an interesting family home activity, come on down. Click here for address and store info. Since Derek is back in Utah, he may be joining Daniel for some of the events. Daniel arrives in the area Friday afternoon, so if anyone would like us to put together a fireside that evening or Sunday evening, get in touch with one of us and we'd be glad to try and arrange it.

Our first Spanish fireside

Daniel gave a fireside on the 6th of this month at the Oakland multi-stake center next to the temple. It was the first one in Spanish, finally. All in all, it went okay, but he will have to brush up on some more vocabulary if it happens again. Many attendees asked if our book was available in Spanish, but sadly, no. That would be a great idea, but if it ever happens, it's a long way off. We were told that up to 160 people attended the fireside, so that is a good turnout.

Daniel was even told that David Archuleta was in town visiting relatives and came to the fireside because he was interested and his mother is from Honduras. When asked if he knew who David Archuleta was, Daniel had to respond that he didn't. Pop culture was never one of his strong points. For those of you still in the dark, he is quite a famous runner-up on American Idol and from Utah. So now we have had a celebrity hear the fireside. We'll be expecting a song about the book soon!

More events are scheduled for next month. Daniel will be in SLC for the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum's annual conference, selling the book. Maybe next year, he will finally get the chance to speak. He will also be giving a fireside and doing book signings at Classic Books and Gifts in Lehi on that Friday evening. As usual, he is looking for other fireside opportunities while he is there, so let us know. More details will be forthcoming.

Spanish fireside this weekend

Recently, Daniel was asked to give a fireside at a chapel in Sonoma. It was sort of last minute, but that's what we live for. It went well and many people asked where they could get the book. He will also be doing a fireside this Sunday evening in Oakland, at the stake center right next to the temple. This one will be in Spanish, so he has been busy translating sections of the PowerPoint presentation and trying to bone up on some needed vocabulary. Let's hope everything goes well. If you are a Spanish speaker and will be in Oakland at 7:00 this Sunday evening, come on by.