First Endorsement!

So I’d like to take a little break from policy discussions and talk about personal things for a little while.

The first cool thing I’d like to mention is that Robison Wells, a speculative fiction author (and fellow Mormon) whom I greatly admire, contacted me today, telling me how much he’d loved my book and asking if I wanted a cover quote from him.

Of course I said yes!

Rob is best known for his Variant series, but I was privileged to work with him as a copyeditor on his novel Airships of Camelot. I really enjoyed both the book and the process of working with Rob, and if you like good YA SF/F books, you’ll like his work too. Here’s what he said about my book:

I remember attending a devotional at BYU where Senator Harry Reid spoke. He said “I am not a Democrat in spite of being Mormon; I am a Democrat because I am a Mormon.” I feel the same way, and Daniel Friend’s book, Why More Mormons Should Be Democrats dives into this concept head first, showing, with scripture and the words of modern-day prophets and apostles, how Mormon doctrine is fully compatible with Democratic policies. This down-to-earth, reasoned approach is a must read for Mormons of any political stripe.

I’m geeking out now for several reasons:

It’s always cool when someone likes your book or anything else you’ve created artistically. (And yes, nonfiction is still creative.) That feeling of happiness mixed with humility is something that I hope never goes away.
It’s really cool when someone you respect likes your art—especially when they’re working in the same field! Winning the approval of your peers makes you feel like you’ve done something right.
It’s really cool when someone approaches you about endorsing or promoting that piece of art. There’s nothing wrong with asking for an endorsement, but that’s not what happened in this case. Rob said this because he wanted to. And while I don’t want to disparage solicited endorsements (they can be honest and heartfelt!), somehow coming from this direction seems even more genuine.

So that’s it for now, though there will be more news to come soon. In the meantime, if you have read my book, please leave a review on Amazon. Reviews do more than anything else to boost a book’s visibility on Amazon.