Hi, I'm Joyce D

I'm an author, a medieval history buff, a lover of books, music, Renaissance Fesitvals and cats. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm a 50-something single and author of several medieval novels. I love to write! I also love reading and learning about history. Attending the Arizona Renaissance Festival is one of the highlights of my year. (I haven't missed a single one yet!) Someday I hope to travel the world, but for now, I travel it in my imagination.

Why I am a Mormon

I'm a Mormon because of my mother's faithful example and love of the gospel. As a child, we sang the Primary songs together and she faithfully took me to Primary every week. The seeds of my testimony were planted early in Primary—the children's organization of the Church. Even then, while listening to my teachers, I knew what they were teaching me was true. It was more than a feeling. I knew it deep in my heart.

I have never forgotten those feelings from my childhood. I know it was the Holy Ghost bearing witness to me then, as He has borne witness to me of the truth many times since throughout my life. I still feel those same feelings in my heart whenever I read the Bible and Book of Mormon, or listen to our modern-day prophets.

I know I am a child of God and that my Heavenly Father loves me. I am so grateful for the love and mercy of the atonement of Jesus Christ, for the tender way He cares for me even when I've made poor choices. I am so grateful for the resurrection which makes it possible for me to be with those I love again. I am grateful for the commandments which keep me safe. I am grateful for the restoration of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith, for without the Prophet Joseph and the Restoration, I would not have all this knowledge to help me make good decisions and bring me comfort in an often confusing world.

Personal Stories

How can your talents and gifts bless others?

I believe when one has been blessed with a talent, the Lord expects us to share it to help others. One way I try to do this is by maintaining the standard of virtue in the books I write. Although I am Mormon, I don't write books about the Mormon Church. I try to write for a wide audience, because I believe there are many people who long to be reassured that virtue is still "okay" in today's world. I want to give readers a “safe” place to go. Someplace they don’t have to skip pages or cringe or tell their friends, “It was great, except for this one little part.” I believe stories can be exciting and romantic and intelligent and just plain fun, and still be clean.

Because I have also been blessed with a gift of musical training, I also play the piano for two music classes in our school district, even though I have no children of my own. Hearing the happy voices of both little children and high school students brings me great joy. Music is such a blessing in my life. I want to share the happiness it brings me with others!

How I live my faith

I try to read my scriptures every day, because I feel warm and safe when I read them. I try to serve wherever my church leaders ask me to. I have worked with the children, the youth, and the adults. Right now I play the piano for the children's meeting. There is no place better to be on Sundays! The songs the children sing so touch my heart, and often the words stay with me through the week and bring me guidance and comfort.

Another sister and I go out together and visit four sisters each month to see how they’re doing and if they need any help. We share a spiritual message with them and we all try to lift each others’ spirits. Many of us keep in touch over Facebook, even if it’s just to give each other a “thumbs up” there. It may seem like a very little thing, but it’s a way of telling them that someone is thinking of them, is interested in their lives, and is rooting for them to succeed. We try to love and support each other all week long, not just on Sundays.

What blessings can you receive from reading the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and other scriptures?

Joyce D answered...

I have found many answers to questions I have in the scriptures. Not just while I am reading them. There have been times, more than once, when I have been listening to the news and have felt myself being caught up in "the philosophies of men". "What if what they're saying is true?" I'll find myself wondering. Then a scripture will suddenly come into my mind--sometimes a verse, sometimes just a few words--and as if in a flash, I will see the flaw in the argument I'm listening to and know the difference between God's truth and what men might perceive to be true with the limited knowledge we have compared to God. But these answers could never come to me if I hadn't taken time to read the scriptures to allow the Lord to put his word into my mind so that He can call it back when I need it. But one time isn't enough. You can't remember everything in the scriptures with just one reading. And so you need to read them every day, because scriptures are one important way that God will talk to you.

Do Mormons practice polygamy?

Jon answered...

No, Mormons do not practice polygamy and discontinued the practice over a century ago. Yet, whenever I discuss my faith, often the first question asked is, "how many wives do you have?" It is important to know that the religious groups that currently practice polygamy, as often seen on the news, have no affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Even though some of these groups may claim otherwise.