A new addition to the Hunt Family

Photo: Allison Bottke shows Charley her new book. Photo: BABE

http://www.sosmastiffrescue.org/

We interrupt this regular blog to bring you exciting breaking news--BABE is on her way! We had our first meeting with Southern States mastiff rescue, and within the hour, we heard that BABE is on her way for a trial meeting. If she gets along well with the men and with Charley, she's our new girl.

Update: It's official, Babe is home. Babe needs to get used to men, but once we get her over that quirk, I think we'll be all settled in. She's two years old, Charley is almost four, so that's a good span.

It's so lovely to hear eight big feet again. How to describe a mastiff walking across a tile floor? My sister in law says it sounds like people walking through your house in slippers. shush-shush-shush. (VBG)

The rational part of my brain keeps questioning WHY I've brought another 200 pound drooly dog into my very clean house . . . . (she drools more than any mastiff I've ever had, but that might be because she's nervous).

But when it comes to animals, rational never wins. Good thing I have a swiffer wet mop . . .

~~Angie

What Sort of Writer Should You Be?

So I found this cute little quiz on the internet, and it says I should write science fiction? Well, some of my novels may have that "what if" element, but I prefer to do what I'm doing--which is pretty much indefinable, I suppose.

You can take the quiz through the link at the bottom. Enjoy!

P.S. Anybody have any recommendations for November's book of the month? We'll do THE NATIVITY STORY in December, so November is wide open.

P.S.S. Guess what arrived today? My hot-off-the-press copy of THE NATIVITY STORY. It's beautiful!

~~Angie

You Should Be a Science Fiction Writer

Your ideas are very strange, and people often wonder what planet you're from. And while you may have some problems being "normal," you'll have no problems writing sci-fi. Whether it's epic films, important novels, or vivid comics... Your own little universe could leave an important mark on the world!

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

“Tell Someone . . . the Entire Story.”

I've written another column for my newspaper gig. This is still rough, but I'd be interested in your feedback. (The youth pastor's wife part of me comes out in this one!)

Angela Hunt

For months now, almost every time I’ve opened a magazine I’ve seen a colorful ad, complete with postcards, urging me to “tell someone” that cervical cancer is caused by “certain strains of a common virus.” The ad, which is also featured in a nearly ubiquitous television commercial, might lead you to believe that science has just discovered that cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV.

The ads would have you believe that the HPV virus is common (it is) and lurking to assault the unwary at every turn (it isn’t). I visited a web page where one woman wrote in to complain that the ads led her to believe that “catching” HPV was as simple as picking up a common cold.

Wrong. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease, and its link to cervical cancer has been well-established. In a 1985 book, 1250 Health Care Questions Women Ask, Dr. Joel McIlhaney wrote, “This explains what doctors have known for years about the character of cervical cancer: it is more likely to occur in women who started having intercourse early and who have had many sexual partners . . . If she has had two sexual partners, she has doubled her chance of having this type of change of her cervix. If she has three sexual partners during her lifetime, she has three times the normal risk. This pattern continues up to as many sexual partners a woman might have . . .”

Why the sudden publicity about HPV? Simple. Merck, a pharmaceutical company, has developed Gardasil, a vaccine for four strains of the HPV virus, two of which cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. The company stands to make a boatload of money off the vaccine, which will cost between $350-500 per vaccination.

The fine print: in order for Gardasil to be effective, it should be administered before a woman becomes sexually active. A federal advisory panel recommended that the three-dose vaccine be given to all eleven and twelve year old girls. Never mind that the rate of cervical cancer is dropping; never mind that the virus is defeated by most people’s immune systems without causing any symptoms whatsoever.

Never mind that advocates want to vaccinate nearly four million girls to prevent a cancer that will affect less than ten thousand women this year.

Never mind that there are more than 100 types of HPV, and Gardasil only protects against four. Other strains of HPV can cause other cancers. I would list them, but if you’re like me, you’re reading this over your breakfast.

A few years ago, a friend and I had a discussion about our teenage daughters. We were both devoted mothers who did not want our children to be sexually active, but we chose completely different approaches. I gave my daughter advice and instruction. She gave her daughters advice, instruction, and the birth control pill.

In our friendly debate, I said, “Don’t you think that giving your daughters the pill is like saying: “This is a lovely car. I don’t want you to drive it until you are married, but here’s a seat belt and a crash helmet in case you decide to take it for a spin.”

She laughed and said, “I think that’s more realistic than saying, ‘Stay out of the garage!’”

Is it? Given our sexually-themed culture (seen any teen movies lately?), I can understand why a parent might think it logical to provide their children with contraceptives and vaccinations.

But what are we teaching by providing such things? We cannot remove all of the consequences—there are other strains of HPV and other sexually transmitted diseases--so we may be fostering a false sense of invulnerability.

I’m of the opinion that we get what we honor . . . and, to a large degree, what we expect. No mere human is perfect and we all have our weaknesses. But part of growing wise includes learning how to exercise self-control.

A 1952 biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower revealed that he had once been a heavy smoker. Due to health concerns, he quit. The book’s author asked Eisenhower if he found it difficult to be in a room filled with smokers. Was he tempted? Didn’t other people’s enjoyment make him yearn for the cigarettes he’d given up?

The President replied, “No, I just think, I had the will power to quit, and they haven’t.”

So yes, tell someone. Find someone close to you and tell them that you believe in their ability to make good decisions.

~~Angie

P.S. I couldn't fit this into the article seamlessly (and I had a word limit), but there are also risks to the vaccine. One, if a woman who receives it has been exposed to HPV (and she could have been without knowing it), it will cause a "cancer precursor"--in other words, her cervix will show abnormal cells, a flag for cervical cancer. Second, in the trial, five women who received the vaccination around the time they conceived a child gave birth to children with birth defects.

Oh, yeah. The federal agency stopped just short of REQUIRING this vaccine for female children, but it's on the list of recommended vaccines. Parents--keep an eye on this one. Everyone, spread the word.

Akeelah and the Sabbath Week

I've been trying to take a "sabbath week" every seventh week--this is my first, and I'm enjoying it. I purposely decided to take the week after my deadline, which has been a much-needed break. I'm not sure I'll be able to take one every seven weeks, but one between projects feels really good. I have cleaned out files and watched movies and played with the dog . . . Much more of this and I will be BORED.

I just watched Akeelah and the Bee . . . and it's a good thing I didn't see this one in the theater, because I would have cried all my makeup off. No, it's not a sad movie. It's a happy movie, with a great upbeat ending, but the themes just moved me so that I sat here and sobbed through all the good stuff. Even as I sat here blowing my nose, I knew my crying made no sense. I was sobbing while Akeelah prepped for the spelling bee, which is sort of like weeping through the scenes where Rocky is running up and down the beach before the next big fight. Illogical, I know. But this is a sweet movie, and I heartily recommend it.

I also love Angela Bassett, who plays the Mom, and I'd seen the star, Keke Palmer, in Medea's Family Reunion. She's a wonderful child actress.

Enjoy!

~~Angie

A heart for Jerusalem

As the current Palestinian leader continues to vow that Hamas will never recognize Israel's right to exist, I watched a video on the web. I'm also currently reading Joel Rosenberg's EPICENTER, which correctly interprets the prophet Ezekiel--we are heading for a clash in the Middle East which was predicted long before Christ. Russia and the Arab nations, minus Iraq and Egypt, will come against Israel . . . and God will intervene. It's all in the Scriptures. (It's also portrayed in one of my novels, BY DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT, co-written with Grant Jeffrey.)

(BTW, Joel's book EPICENTER is a nonfiction book in which he explains how he came to write his prophetic novels. It's great reading!)

If you have a heart for the place and people of Jerusalem, visit this web site and watch the video yourself: http://films.izfone.com/.

Pray for the peace of the Holy City!

~~Angie

Have You Seen Juanita?

This is a GREAT idea!

Photo: Steve, Angie, Wayne of the CWG.

AUTHOR TAKES ON CHARACTER’S QUEST

My pal Stephen Bly of Winchester, Idaho, award winning author of 100 books, has so gotten into his newest character’s life, that he’s caught up in the search to find Juanita, the girl of rodeo cowboy Hap Bowman’s dreams. “An idiot obsession,” Hap’s roping partner, Laramie, chides. But Hap and Steve keep looking anyway. And so does Bly’s family, friends and fans. He’s listed her description on the home page of http://www.OneStepOvertheBorder.com :
raven dark hair, dark eyes, has a petite birthmark the shape of a horse’s head under her right ear. She lived in sight of the Rio Grande and spent time with 12-year-old Hap Bowman in Central Wyoming, summer of 1988 and is 31 years old now.


Bly’s hoping to see “Have you seen my Juanita?” signs pop up everywhere—on websites and message boards, in waiting rooms and bulletin boards, on car bumpers and t-shirts, at rest stops and stuck to magnetic surfaces. “Maybe we really will find her,” Bly says, “If so, she’ll be featured on our website for sure.”

One Step Over the Border is a romp, a road adventure. It's CowboyLit that has inspired a blog by Hap Bowman, a Juanita Sightings page, and an audio poetry reading. Bly’s three sons are working on a video for the site and they’ve gotten the whole family involved in the production. There’s even a free “Have You Seen My Juanita?” Search Kit ready to send to those who e-mail cowboy Hap at HapBowman@yahoo.com with their snail mail address.


Bly’s no stranger to getting heavily involved into his characters. In Paperback Writer a distracted detective rides along with his author, serving as alter ego and companion in troubles on the road. “Life imitates art, they say,” Bly muses. “I care so much for my characters I find it hard to let them go. But also my desire is for the reader to find their own real life discoveries, to be encouraged in their own struggles, by the vicarious ‘entering into’ the quests of my fictional characters.”


The story of Hap’s search to find his Juanita, in the book One Step Over the Border, releases June 2007, by Center Street/Hachette Book Group, USA. Pre-orders are now available through www.blybooks.com and soon will be via

www.amazon.com or your favorite online bookstore.

CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Stephen or Janet Bly, P.O. Box 157, Winchester, ID, 83555

ph: 208-924-5885

e-mail: stephen@blybooks.com or janet@blybooks.com

website: www.blybooks.com

IT IS FINISHED!

Fairlawn #1, aka "Doesn't She Look Good?" was promised on October 15th . . . and about ten minutes ago, at 8:08 p.m. on Sunday night, I clicked "send" and off it went to my editor.

Now I feel like collapsing. I feel like I've run a marathon. This last week has been filled with ten hour days, and I've been editing in my sleep. Now I'm so dizzy that I can't honestly tell you whether the book is good or if it's pure garbage, but at least it is now out of my hands and into my editors'.

I got tickled watching the word count at the end. The book flirted with the 100,000 number constantly. It'd be 100,300 words, then dip down to 99,9979, then rise up to 100,232, then go down . . . all because I was cutting snippets here, adding snippets there. I think the final word count was just over 100,000. Or maybe it was 99,999. I don't remember (and right now, I don't care.)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go collapse. Tomorrow I'm going to clean off my desk. And then I think I'll read . . . for fun. Maybe surf the web. Maybe sit outside and breathe the nice fall air . . .

I'm done. Until the next round or revisions, this one from my editors.

P.S. About the photo . . . want to guess who it is? Hint: both guys are novelists. (And the tattoos aren't permanent.)

~~Angie

Nichole Nordeman

A few years ago I traveled a bit with the Women of Faith team. That's where I met and heard Nichole Nordeman for the first time. Nichole is a lovely young lady who sings like an angel, but it was her music that blew me away. She's a true lyricist, and her words are not only profound and lovely, but they are spiritually deep and show real maturity.

She charmed us all with stories of how she bought a "space bag"--you know, those plastic bag vacuum gizmos shown on TV that can flatten a comforter to a pancake?--and got a little carried away, then she sang songs that just brought me to tears. Even now, I love to start work with a couple of Nichole's songs--they lift me right up to the throne room of heaven.

Here are a couple of the songs that move me to the center of my being (well, snippets from the songs):

From "Tremble:"

Have I come too casually? Because it seems to me
There's something I've neglected
How does one approach a Deity with informality
And still protect the Sacred?
Oh, let me not forget to tremble . . .

This one, "Legacy," is so convicting:

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
And you could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all the Who's Who's and So-and-So's
That used to be the best at such and such
It wouldn't matter much

I want to leave a legacy,
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things . . .
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace
Who blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy . . .

And finally, this is now my favorite worship song. So simple, so elegant and profound--"Holy":

How many roads did I travel
Before I walked down one that led me to You?
And how many dreams did unravel
Before I believed in a hope that was true?
How long? How far?
What was meant to fulfill only emptied me still
And all You ever wanted . . .

Only me, on my knees, singing Holy, holy
And somehow all that matters now is You are Holy, Holy . . .

If you haven't heard Nichole, be sure to check out her music. You'll be blessed. (All songs above written by Nichole Nordeman.)

~~Angie

Icons Will Play

What do your computer icons do when you're not looking? Tee hee.

Watch them at play here: here.

P.S. Happy birthday to my hubby!

~~Angie

Photos: Regis Philbin, my hubby, and Justus
Next photo: my hubby and his friend Charlie from Ohio

The WIP Update

Photo: my fictional Fairlawn Funeral Home

I have pre-written all my blog posts for this week because it's the final week before deadline and the WIP needs nearly all my attention. I assigned myself a 47-page-a-day quota for this final edit, and I've done something different this time. I knew the first sections would go quickly because they were polished. So instead of moving forward onto new pages when I finished at five o'clock or so, I've been going back over these pages and doing a few of the things Donald Maass told us to do--like inserting "zingers" in dialogue, looking for spots to insert humor, looking to enhance "turning points" in a scene. It's been fun, and I've been grateful for the extra time.

The last half of the manuscript, though, isn't nearly as polished as the first half was, so I expect to be working long and hard as the week nears its end. This book, now titled "Doesn't She Look Good?" has to be sent in first thing Monday morning on the 16th . . . or maybe even on Sunday night. I'll make my editor happy and come in early.

In any case, the book is coming, I''ve really fallen in love with these characters, and I'm glad I get to write about them through two more books.

P.S. Archaeologists say they have discovered bones of an ancient giant camel that stood as tall as a modern-day elephant. Wow! Wonder how long that guy could go without water?

~~Angie

Sacred Space

My friend Annie Jones (wonderful novelist!) told me a story about Fred Rogers last week (Yes, the "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" guy). Seems when Fred was in seminary and learning all about how to preach, he attended a small church and heard another man preach. The minister didn't follow the "how to preach" rules and the subject matter didn't inspire Fred. He sat in his pew and mentally tore the message apart . . . and then he noticed that the woman beside him was totally enthralled. "That's just what I needed to hear today," she whispered to Fred Rogers.

And Fred said that's when he realized the "space" between a minister (or writer or singer) and a listener (or reader) is sacred. From that day forward he promised to not insert himself into someone else's sacred space. He could celebrate the fact that someone, somewhere needed to hear that message.

When I was a music major in college, I was nearly ruined for church music. I couldn't listen to another singer or choir without noticing (and quietly cringing) every time I heard a note that was sharp or flat or a vibrato that went way out of control. The little I knew--and this is when intellect can become a dangerous thing--fostered a critical spirit within me.

And then I realized that all the joy of church music had vanished for me. To restore it, I had to learn to zip the lip of my inner critic . . . just as Fred Rogers did. I didn't know about the concept of "sacred space" back then, but I wish I had.

One of my friends told me about her son, who's an excellent musician. She quietly bemoaned the fact that he didn't enjoy playing in some of his school bands because they "weren't good enough." He wants to "save himself" for more professional groups. I suspect he will some day "change his tune."

Ah, how the Lord delights in humbling his children. If we don't humble ourselves, He will do what it takes to remind us that we are servants . . . for it's in service that true joy lies. And it's in the "sacred space" between author and reader, preacher and hearer, singer and listener, that the Spirit works.

~~Angie

Classy Authors

I have this shtick I frequently do on what makes a classy author . . . and then I read the following reprinted in the Christian retail industry's magazine, Aspiring Retail. Ann Landers wrote this, and it's priceless:

What is Class?

Class never runs scared. It is sure-footed and confident in the knowledge that you can meet life head on and handle whatever comes along.

Class never makes excuses. It takes its lumps and learns from past mistakes.

Class is considerate of others. It knows that good manners are nothing more than a series of small sacrifices.

Class bespeaks an aristocracy that has nothing to do with ancestors or money.

Class never tries to build itself up by tearing others down. Class is already up and need not strive to look better by making others look worse.

Class can "walk with kings and keep its virtue and talk with crowds and keep the common touch." Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class because he is comfortable with himself.

If you have class you don't need much of anything else. If you don't have it, no matter what else you have, it doesn't make much difference.

Kathleen Samuelson, the editor who quoted Ann Landers in Aspiring Retail, says she keeps a copy of the above "in my heart to remember when I hear or read something hurtful, inaccurate, or discouraging."

I think it's apt not only in that situation, but every morning as a reminder. Class is simply walking as Jesus walked. It's knowing that we are children of the King and instructed to walk in love with our brothers and sisters as we reach out in compassion to the world.

Lord, grant us a little class today. (Landers' schtick is better than mine!)

~~Angie

Marley and Me

My book club met last week to discuss John Grogan's MARLEY AND ME. If you haven't read this book, you simply HAVE to, especially if you love animals. We hardly ever give five-star ratings, but I think six out of eight of us gave the book five stars . . . and Becky even went out and got a puppy!

Warm, funny, and yes, it will draw a few tears. Marley and Me is not to be missed!

Maybe I should write a book called CHARLEY AND ME . . . LOL!

BTW: Update on our next mastiff adoption: got a phone call from the lady who has to do our "home visit," and she's on vacation until this coming weekend. (Probably a good thing, because I have to hold a baby shower here on Thursday night.) So stay tuned!

~~Angie

Rene's Big News

Happy Columbus Day!

Some of you may know my friend, Rene Gutteridge, author of Scoop, Boo, and Boo Who?. Rene is a darling, first of all, and second, she just wrote me to share some big news that thrills me! She's just been selected to do a novelization of the new movie The Ultimate Gift. I hadn't heard of this project, but after watching the trailer, I can't wait to see the movie! You can watch the trailer here:

http://www.theultimategift.com/trailermain.asp

The story is about a spoiled rich kid who hates his grandfather . . . and before he can collect his inheritance, he has to follow twelve steps and receive twelve "gifts" (of character). Big name stars in this movie, including James Garner and Brian Dennehey.

I'm so excited for Rene--and excited about this movie! Look for it in the Spring and be sure to check out the web site!

BTW, I have heard so many good things about FACING THE GIANTS, out now and in theaters. Try to get out to support the film if you can.

~~Angie

I like you!

Feeling a little down in the dumps? Visit this website: Pick Me Up

~~Angie

BOM: Questions and Answers

And now . . . your questions and answers about THE PROPOSAL . . . or whatever else you asked. :-)

Betsy asked what I learned about God during the writing of this book: I'd like to sound spiritual and say I learned something amazing, but this book was more about educating myself--and my readers--about the dangers of abortion and other life issues. Theodora, my protagonist, learns that it's best to consult the Lord before flying off in pursuit of a dream, but that's something I've been learning all my life. The writing of this book was a nice reminder, though.

Christy asked: Do you happen to know the mechanism of breast cancer after abortion? I guess I'm mostly wondering if having a spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) also puts you at higher risk for breast cancer. Is it due to a body's reaction to the loss of pregnancy or is it something related to the performed abortion procedure? Thanks!

Actually, it's neither. As I understand it, when a woman becomes pregnant, her breast cells begin to change so that she'll be able to nurse when the baby is born. When the pregnancy is terminated before the birth (and before the breast cell change is complete), the cells are left in a state of flux. This, it is supposed, is what may make them more susceptible to cancer (which is uncontrolled cell growth).

Now--if a woman miscarries, does this leave her in the same situation? See the official explanation below from www.abortionbreastcancer.com :

A never-pregnant woman has a network of primitive, immature and
cancer-vulnerable breast cells which make up her milk glands. It is only in the
third trimester of pregnancy - after 32 weeks gestation - that her cells start
to mature and are fashioned into milk producing tissue whose cells are cancer
resistant.

When a woman becomes pregnant, her breasts enlarge. This
occurs because a hormone called estradiol, a type of estrogen, causes both the
normal and pre-cancerous cells in the breast to multiply terrifically. This
process is called “proliferation.” By 7 to 8 weeks gestation, the estradiol
level has increased by 500% over what it was at the time of conception.
If the pregnancy is carried to term, a second process called “differentiation”
takes place. Differentiation is the shaping of cells into milk producing tissue.
It shuts off the cell multiplication process. This takes place at approximately
32 weeks gestation.

If the pregnancy is aborted, the woman is left with more undifferentiated -- and therefore cancer-vulnerable cells -- than she had before she was pregnant. On the other hand, a full term pregnancy leaves a woman with more milk producing differentiated cells, which means that she has fewer cancer-vulnerable cells in her breasts than she did before the pregnancy.
In contrast, research has shown that most miscarriages do not raise breast cancer
risk. This is due to a lack of estrogen overexposure. Miscarriages are frequently precipitated by a decline in the production of progesterone which is needed to maintain a pregnancy. Estrogen is made from progesterone, so the levels of each hormone rise and fall together during pregnancy.

For a thorough biological explanation of the abortion-breast cancer link, see this second website for the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute, http://www.bcpinstitute.org/ and click on its online booklet, “Breast Cancer Risks and Prevention.”

For further reading, visit this link: http://www.abortionbreastcancer.com/start/ .

On another front--good news! MAGDALENE may be optioned by a movie company! We're currently discussing details . . .

~~Angie

BOM: The Results/Reader Reaction

Because THE PROPOSAL was timely and concerned a political and social issue, I did lots of radio interviews when the novel released. Dozens. The book won an Angel Award from Excellence in Media and received several nice reviews.

Did the book sell well? Not really. Maybe it was the black cover, maybe it was because this was a change of genres for me, maybe the book was ahead of its time. I don't know, but I'm convinced the book reached those it was meant to reach. It is still out there, of course (with Amazon's used book sales, books never die), and its message is still important.

I received several letters from women who'd had abortions and had never heard of the ABC link. I advised them to give their doctors a complete medical history and to be vigilant in their monthly BSEs.

Here are some snippets from reviews: "Although the plot is fictitious, abortion's link to breast cancer is not. Hunt's ability to combine startling data with an exciting story line makes for an intriguing medical mystery. This book is sure to be a hit with mystery fans as well as with readers interested in its medical connotations." --Bookstore Journal.

"Hunt's research on the issue is solid and makes a persuasive case that Christians must continue to exert political pressure, or other truths may also remain buried . . . " --Hawaii Catholic Herald.

"The story, fast-paced, suspenseful and entertaining, features a novie writer who stumbles on to a conspiracy to suppress medical discoveries linking abortion and breast cancer. The author, while acknowledging the plight of the unborn, tries to direct our attention to the fact that abortion not only kills the baby, but may eventually kill the mother as well." --Aspire

"Hunt has done her own research into this subject and found several sources to support her novel. The subject of abortion is an emotional one, and as documents support its link with breast cancer, the repercussions of making this information public are obvious. A decrease in abortions will cost money, would stop fetal-cell research and would alter many political stands. By choosing this subject for her book, Hunt has succeeded in finding a platform for intelligent pro-life argument without making the heroes of the story look like insane zealots." --"Reading Room."

"THE PROPOSAL is lively, readable, and rather amusing, particularly in its portrait of the feckless Theodora." --John Mort, for Booklist.

Tomorrow: your questions and answers. Does anybody have any?

~~Angie, happy to report, BTW, that the WIP is A-OK.

BOM: The Editing

To tell you the truth, I don't remember much about the editing. I do remember that a male and a female editor worked on it--I think the female handed it off to the male because of the genre.

Or, LOL, maybe I've repressed the memories! In any case, tomorrow we'll look at the reader reaction and reviews.

BTW, the theatrical trailer for THE NATIVITY STORY has just been released. I watched it and got goosebumps. To see it, go to http://www.thenativitystory.com , then click on "videos."

~~Angie

Saints and Soldiers

I'd like to interrupt the regularly-scheduled BOM event to tell you about a movie I watched tonight: Saints and Soldiers. If you watched the DVD series "Band of Brothers," about WWII, you may recall a scene where the German army killed a large group of American prisoners.

This movie, based on factual events, centers on a handful of men who escaped that historic mass murder. They are behind enemy lines when they discover a British flyer who has intelligence that he needs to get to the Allied forces in order to save many lives.

There are five men--and one of them is a believer, one of them is a skeptic. I won't say anything else, except that this is one of the most powerful, least preachy movies I have ever seen. The Christian character is genuine, authentic, and completely human.

Netflix it today, or look for it at the video rental store (do they still call them "video" stores even though almost everything is on DVD? ) Suitable for teenagers, too.

(I didn't recognize a single actor, but they all did a great job! I was impressed.)

~~Angie

BOM: The Writing

Writing THE PROPOSAL was more difficult than I'd anticipated. I encountered the problem of profanity--or, shall I say, the lack of it. I don't think I'd find it as challenging today as I did back then, but I was less experienced in 1995.

I had two characters, you see, who were thuggy low lifes. (Low lives?) And I wanted to write them realistically, but I wanted to eschew profanity in my book. When they were chopping off a man's finger, I couldn't have them say, "Oh, darn it."

Why do I want to avoid profanity in my work? Bottom line: Because it bothers a lot of readers. I was once at a secular conference where someone asked Diana Gabaldon (whose books I like) why she used so much profanity in her novels. Diana replied that SHE doesn't use it, but her characters do. But I walked away from that talk realizing that to readers, it's all the same. It doesn't matter who uses it, it's being used, and it offends a lot of people. (My book club once read a book of Carl Haissen's, and we would have loved the story, but his language put us off--and we are not a "Christian" book club. We're readers, period.)

I have since come up with ways to work around this problem, but it was a challenge in the beginning. (The ways around? Lots of options: Change the character to someone more urbane. Change the camera focus while the profanity is being spewed. Focus on a detail, zoom in tightly, work the violence with mood rather than explicit language. Like I said, it takes MORE creativity and skill to write without settling for the most obvious profanity or obscenity.)

Sorry to digress. Back to the writing.

Two years ago I taught the fiction track at the Florida Christian Writer's Conference. It was a class of about forty, and we spent a lot of time together, so I attempted something different. I brought forty copies of THE PROPOSAL to class, taught a lesson on self-editing, and gave the class homework: to take a copy and self-edit the first chapter of THE PROPOSAL using what I'd taught them in class.

The next day they came in, and I walked them through the first few pages, showing how we could easily tighten dialogue, get rid of words that didn't work, heighten the mood. One of my students raised her hand and said, "How did this get published?" I laughed. "It's a good story," I told her, "and I've improved a lot since I wrote this. You'll improve, too, the more you write."
(Aside: actually, I could pick up ANY novel and edit it. Almost anything can be tightened.)

It is a good story--the issue is important, the risks were real, and, after all, it's about a writer at a writers' conference, something I can easily relate to. But if I had it to rewrite, I'm sure there'd be a lot of words left on the cutting room floor . . . and some thug scenes written from an entirely different perspective.

Tomorrow: the editing

~~Angie

BOM: The Research

Researching THE PROPOSAL was fairly straightforward. I had to delve into breast cancer, the events that provoke changes in breast tissue, genetics, abortion, medical care and treatment. (In fact, I did so much research on breast cancer that I later wrote Gentle Touch/A Time to Mend using much of the same material, only updated.) I also had to research the Washington D.C. area, where Theo Russell lived, and fetal tissue research. I also unconvered some truly grisly research done with human fetuses--not for the faint of heart, I assure you.

I also had to learn how to write a thriller. Not knowing much back then about my now handy-dandy plot skeleton, I found a book that literally said, "Write one scene in your hero's POV. Now write a scene in the antagonist's POV." It was follow the dots, but I was willing to follow them. (Later, I threw that book away.)

BTW, do you know the difference between a mystery and a thriller? It's simple, but lots of people don't think about it. In a mystery, the reader doesn't know who the bad guy is. With the detective, the reader is supposed to assemble the clues and rejoice (ta da!) at the end when the hero puts the pieces together and reveals the criminal. The fun is in solving the puzzle.

In a thriller, you have scenes from the hero's POV and the bad guy's POV--and the reader watches them approach each other from two separate tracks. The reader knows that a confrontation between these two is coming, and at first, it looks like the bad guy holds all the cards. We watch and wait for the confrontation between good and evil.

So--I had to do medical research, location research, and basic "how to write" research. Enough to keep me busy for at least a week. :-)

Tomorrow: The writing

~~Angie

BOM: How the Idea Germinated

How did I come up with the idea for THE PROPOSAL?

A little backstory might be in order. You might know that I began in nonfiction. For five years I wrote magazine articles, catalog copy, all kinds of things before I even thought about writing a book--and then I wrote nonfiction books and picture books. So I have always been geared toward factual things, which is probably why my novels have a real basis in fact (and, incidentally, why I don't write fantasy).

So--one year I attended the national convention of Concerned Women for America. My memory's a little foggy, but I think I went at the behest of Tyndale House, who wanted me to nose around and see if I heard about any hot topics that might make an interesting book.

I did attend lots of seminars on everything from sex education to venereal diseases. (Isn't memory strange? I remember the turquoise dress I wore and that I kept the TV on all night for white noise in the hotel room, but I can't remember where the convention was held. But I digress.)

I did hear a lawyer, Scott Summerall, speak on what has come to be known as the "ABC link:" the abortion/breast cancer link. Statistics indicate that women who have abortions before they ever give birth to a child have a greater tendency to develop breast cancer than other women. Why is this so significant? Simple. Doctors will freely tell you about all sorts of things that increase a woman's tendency to develop breast cancer such as never bearing children, having a high fat diet, being overweight, etc., yet NO ONE wants to admit that abortion also increases a woman's chance for breast cancer.

In fact, the topic almost never makes the news unless some new scientific study comes out that disputes this information--but on closer study, most of these new studies aren't truly applicable--they compare apples to oranges, they use control groups that are too young to develop breast cancer, etc.

I came away with that conference with a burdened feeling. The pro-abortion forces are always saying that women have a right to abortion because it's a women's health issue, but the ABC link is also a women's health issue--a BIG one--and no one wanted to talk about it.

So I wondered what would happen if a writer stumbled across this information . . . and certain forces tried to stop her from publishing her book? Of course I needed extremely powerful opposing forces, so instead of merely stopping with NARAL, I created a group that was using tissue from aborted fetuses to treat patients with Parkinsons, etc.

And so the idea was born. THE PROPOSAL would be my first contemporary novel and my first thriller--a genre that posed its own unique challenges, as I'd been writing historicals until this point.

Tomorrow: the research

~~Angie

Publishers Weekly Review of Nativity Story

I'm always happy to get a PW review, and even more delighted when the review is a good one. This is from the most recent edition:

The Nativity Story Angela Hunt, developed from the screenplay by Mike Rich. Tyndale, $13.99 paper (250p) ISBN 1-4143-1462-0

It's a difficult task to retell the biblical nativity story in a fresh way--after all, it has been novelized, brought to stage and screen, and is the stuff of endless children's Christmas pageants. Yet this companion novel to the New Line Cinema feature film (which will hit theaters December 1) should find a place on the bookshelf as a fresh and viable retelling. Hunt, the author of more than 70 books and working from Mike Rich's screenplay, refrains from oversanitizing the story, although Mary and Joseph are fairly one-dimensional (there aren't a lot of character flaws here). She depicts their gritty, hardscrabble existence as balanced by the love of family.

As a thoughtful reader would expect, the census trip to Bethlehem is no picnic, but some readers may be surprised that the shepherds and wise men show up at the stable together, unlike in the gospel account. The good-natured joshing among the three wise men provides a lighter note to the chapters where Herod's cruelty is well portrayed. Hunt balances the necessary violence with a sensitivity that will expand her readership. Her rich prose and cultural details utilize the five senses to recreate the familiar story, which spans many points of view and includes a fine subplot about Elizabeth, Zechariah and John. (Nov.)

~~Angie

Two Kinds of Wisdom

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.



What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives . . .



The above is from the book of James. I've always liked James, the practical apostle. He was a nuts and bolts kind of man, a bottom-line guy.



I have always wanted wisdom. I think I was impressed by the story of Solomon's request as a child, but I have one memory from childhood that's as clear as day. I remember being ten years old and in the fifth grade. I remember looking in the mirror and taking an inventory of my looks--and realizing that I was never going to be beautiful. I saw eyes that were two different sizes, dishwater colored hair, buck teeth--hey, I was a bottom-line woman even at ten. (If you could see my fifth grade pictures, you'd agree with that assessment!) I remember praying that since the Lord obviously didn't plan to make me beautiful, would he at least help me get that "beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit" talked about in 1 Peter 3? And if he could make me wise, too, that'd be great. Thanks and amen.

There have been times in my life when, by the Lord's grace, I have been able to react with wisdom, but there are other times when it's all too easy to react in the flesh. It's easy to become distracted by things that get under my skin. It's easy to take my eyes off the end of the furrow and forget that I'm supposed to be plowing a straight line.

And periodically it's good to remind myself of my callings and refocus. I am blessed with the positions of wife and mother, community member, member of the body of Christ. I have been placed in a position where I work with words--to share my faith, to teach, to impart Truth through the power of story.

Part of the call to excellence--and to obedience--means that I must diligently keep my hand on the plow and not become distracted. I must remember that I am a servant.

And today--I am off to do my best to serve some ladies in Birmingham! I'm looking forward to it.

Tomorrow: the BOM returns!

~~Angie

The Lake House--Spoiler Alert !

Don't read another word if you haven't seen THE LAKE HOUSE and plan to.

Okay.

I watched the movie this past week and liked it well enough. I like Sandra Bullock and Keanu as actors, and Keanu got to smile in this movie, which was a nice change.

And this morning, as I was blow drying my hair, the analogy struck me.

Keanu (Alex) was living two years behind Sandra (Kate.) When he doesn't show up at an appointed rendezvous, Sandra realizes that something must have happened to him. (Duh--at this point I was shouting, "Why doesn't she Google the guy?" But I digress.)

At the last minute, she tells him NOT to go to XYZ square on Valentine's Day, because if he does, he'll be killed. If he'll not go, if he'll just WAIT, he won't die and they'll have their entire lives together.

Of course Alex goes to the square. He looks up and sees Kate, the love of his life, sitting across the busy street. Their timelines have finally overlapped. He loves her, he wants to go to her with every inch of his being, but . . . he waits. And the Bus With His Name on It goes by without knocking the life out of him.

The analogy? Abstinence. Maybe it hit me because I'm a youth pastor's wife and we're always looking for ways to teach kids that waiting really does have some pretty terrific rewards, but it's hard for them to believe that when people are shacking up all over the place (including, incidentally, in The Lake House, when Sandra moves in with that neurotic guy).

So--for what it's worth, there's a great lesson in there.

I'm out of town this weekend, speaking in Birmingham. And don't forget the Book of the Month feature starts Sunday. Next book: in honor of National Breast Cancer Prevention Month, we're going to look at THE PROPOSAL.

~~Angie

A Hero

Last week (or has it been two weeks already?) Donald Maass began his intensive just as he did the last time I attended. He stood before us and said, "Write down the name of a person you admire."

The first time I attended his intensive, I wrote down the name of a woman writer friend. This past time, I wrote down the name of a male writer friend: Jerry Jenkins.

Then Don said, "Now write down the qualities about this person you admire." I wrote he's humble and yet committed to excellence.

Then Don said, "Write down the first moment you saw this person exhibiting this quality . . . and figure out how you can have your character exhibit that exact quality." I don't know if this is the first time I saw Jerry exhibit humility, but it's the one I remember most. I wrote: "At the Christy dinner, when Jerry won the award Christian novelists desire most, he sent his editor up to accept it. I wouldn't have even known he was in the room if his editor hadn't told us what he'd done."

You'd almost have to be living in exile not to know that Jerry wrote the mega-best-selling LEFT BEHIND series. But you may not know that apart from that, Jerry is one of the most prolific writers I know, writing for children and adults, writing in fiction and nonfiction. He's also a devoted father and husband, the sort of man who really places his wife and children as a priority. Perhaps I admire him for that commitment most of all.

Jerry knows his strengths and weaknesses, and he writes to his strengths. He's not a fussy, flowery writer, but his prose is powerful and succinct. He makes writing look easy--so easy, in fact, that some folks take him to task for his writing skills, but I'd dare them to do what Jerry does in as few words. The popularity of Jerry's books proves that he's reaching the masses, and it's obvious that God is using Jerry's work in an amazing way. If only we could all do as well.

Jerry is also such a good writer that his work is often cited by Sol Stein, guru to all kinds of novelists, and Donald Maass, who quoted from one of the Left Behind books in his "Writing the Breakout Novel" workbook.

Jerry's success has inadvertently reminded me of the "turtle on a fencepost" lesson. What's that? Simple: when you see a turtle on a fencepost, you know that someone put him there. And you also know that the turtle is in a vulnerable position. It's easy for folks on the ground to throw stones at the turtle, and there's not a lot the turtle can do about it.

God placed Jerry in the position he's in. I've watched Jerry on Larry King, Fox News, and dozens of other television shows. He's faced some of the toughest reporters in the biz, and he always responds with Truth, grace, and humility. I don't envy his position, but I'll do my utmost to support him in the place where God has put him.

Just so you'll know--LOL--I'm not up for a position with any of Jerry's organizations and I'm not hinting that he should endorse my latest book. I just truly admire and respect the guy as a Christian, a writer, and a professional.

Now . . . how do I make my character exhibit that same humility in the first chapter? Won't be easy.

~~Angie

Column Test Run

I'm putting together a new column for my newspaper gig. Can I try it out on you? Comments are welcome.

I grew up with devotedly Christian parents who took me to church every Sunday. As a five-year-old, I would sit in the pew, mystified, as the ushers passed around the offering plate. When I asked what the preacher did with all that money, my parents told me that we didn’t give our money to the preacher, we gave it to God.

Oh. Trouble was, I’d learned in Sunday school that God is a spirit, so I couldn’t figure out how the money got from the offering plate up to God’s spirit . . . and what God did with the money once he had it. After pondering the question and coming up clueless, I learned about the Old Testament’s burnt offerings . . . and had a eureka moment. The ushers, I figured, had to take the money outside and burn it. That way the smoke went up to heaven, and God could breathe it in.

I sometimes feel silly when I think about things I used to think, and more than once I’ve wished that adults would simply tell literal-minded children exactly what they mean. But we often fall into word patterns that can be confusing. Sometimes our verbal shorthand can be deliberately misleading, even dangerous.

In a recent Sunday edition of this paper, a proponent for embryonic stem cell research called his position “pro-cure.” I gaped when I read that term, because those of us who promote adult stem cell research (which is more effective and preserves the lives of unborn children) are not only pro-cure, but pro-adoption and pro-life. But the argument will not advance constructively if we resort to counting up our “pros,” so we’d do well to center the debate on scientific and moral grounds.

Over the years, I’ve learned that some words bear the accumulated griefs and injustices of generations. These words are like uranium atoms—the smallest word can, when split by an expert, be a source of tremendous heat. We must use these words with caution . . . and we must respect those griefs and injustices.

After the horror of September 11, 2001, President Bush delivered a speech that polarized the world. Unfortunately, Bush called the war on terror a “crusade,” a word that cannot fall upon Arab ears without being accompanied by images of relentless waves of “Christian” knights who raped, pillaged, and murdered Muslims a millennia ago. Arab groups who might have been sympathetic to our situation were incensed by the word “crusade” and reacted with vitriolic demonstrations.

What seems like ancient history to us is not so ancient in the Middle East.

I recently watched the movie “Conspiracy,” a film based upon notes found in the filing cabinet of one of Hitler’s S.S. officers. The screenplay centers around a historic meeting of Hitler’s top men on a snowy day outside Berlin.

The meeting’s purpose? Twofold: first, to find a way to rid Europe of thousands of Jewish men, women, and children being detained in work camps and ghettos; second, to teach these leaders that the word “evacuation” would soon mean “extermination.” Most of Hitler’s men accepted this adaptation of language with chilling nonchalance.

We all use words to communicate. We call those who are especially gifted in the art of using words for persuasion and/or evasion “diplomatic.” Any husband—mine included--knows that diplomacy is called for when his wife asks how she looks in a new dress. But even the most skilled diplomats are often blind to the connotations words can carry. When stumbling upon an offense caused by apparently innocuous language, we will do ourselves a favor if we ask for help in understanding.

I’m active in an online discussion group composed of novelists. A few years ago we were discussing the creation of African-American characters, and one of our Caucasian members mentioned that she’d been raised to be “colorblind.” I thought her statement perfectly innocent—she was trying to say that she’d been taught to think of people as individuals, not as members of a specific race.

But the discussion quickly became more heated, with our African-American members showing signs of hurt feelings and even offense. Bewildered, I went to an African-American friend and explained the problem. “Why would the word ‘colorblind’ be upsetting?” I asked.

“Because,” he replied, “if you don’t see my color . . . you don’t see me.”

Another eureka moment.

~~Angie

Adopting Again

No, it's not what you think. (Or not what I think you're thinking.)

We've adopted two children, so we know about the application, the wait, the expense, the home study. And we're ready to do it again.

With a dog.

It was a year ago tomorrow (Wednesday) that our dear Sadie passed away. And maybe it's that anniversary, or maybe it's the fact that I've just finished reading MARLEY AND ME, or maybe it's just that I've had a year of a one-dog household. In any case, I've been thinking about getting another dog.

First I checked with our breeder, and though they did just produce the cutest puppy on earth, I think they're going to keep him. (I don't blame them.) Then I checked out mastiff rescue . . . and when my hubby and son came home today, they found me staring google-eyed at photos of "Bubba," who to have the same personality as our beloved "Justus," who passed away a couple of years ago. (That's Bubba in the photo. He's five.)

So now we begin the wait . . . and go through the application, the home visit, the paperwork, the expense. I'll keep you informed as we make progress.

~~Angie

Catching Up

Remember CLUE?

I think it was the editor. In the apartment. With a virus.

Tee hee. Actually, I don't know WHO it was, but somehow a virus sneaked into that Donald Maass Intensive retreat and one by one, I watched people come down with it. First Deeanne, then Maya, then Nancy. I came home, thinking that I had escaped completely, but nooooo, on Wednesday morning I woke up with the telltale sore throat.

Well. Five days later and I'm still creaking around like an old woman. Hubby says I don't look good and don't act at all like myself, which is not what a woman wants to hear. But I went to the doc this morning and came home with drugs aplenty. Am especially looking forward to some knock-me-out cough syrup for tonight.

The bad news is that the sinus part of this bug has given me a six day migraine. The good news is that in between migraine attacks (when I lie on the bed with Charley Gansky, who is in ever protective mode), I've actually been able to pretty much keep up with my work quota. (Well, except for Sunday. I took the day off.) So things are not as bad as they could be and I think I can already feel those antibiotics zipping through my bloodstream, bringing me back to Myself.

I have an out of town weekend ahead (going to B'ham), so I need to be tip top. Looks like things will be okay.

Hope you're doing well! P.S. You know all those warnings about "YOU WOULDN'T STEAL A CAR . . . SO WHY WOULD YOU ILLEGALLY DOWNLOAD?" Wierd Al has a parody video on the subject that's hilarious.

Check it out here: http://www.dontdownloadthissong.com/DDTSecard.swf.

~~Angie

Book Blog

My friend Lissa sent me this list, so I thought I'd respond here. Please feel free to do likewise, either in the comment section or on your own blog (but leave a link if you do!)

Name . . .

1. One book that changed your life: Gone With the Wind (and the Bible, of course)
2. One book that you've read more than once: The Nun's Story
3. One book you'd want on a desert island: The U.S. Army Survival Guide
4. One book that made you laugh: The Princess Bride
5. One book that made you cry: The Kite Runner
6. One book you wish had been written: The one I'm working on
7. One book you wish had never been written: The one in my drawer
8. One book you're currently reading: Marley and Me
9. One book you've been meaning to read: Water for Elephants
10. One book you'd like to to write: The Face (this idea in my mental file).

What's on YOUR list?

~~Angie

Tall Dutchmen

I'm tall. Not monstrously tall, but tall enough that I used to be acutely aware of whether or not I should wear heels when I went out with a guy shorter than five nine (my height). I come by my height naturally, since my father is six-five.

But I have just read in the paper that the Dutch have become the tallest people on earth--take a bow, Robert Elmer, friend and fellow novelist who happens to also be Dutch (and yes, Bob is tall). According to the Associated Press, the average Dutchman stands just over six feet, while women average nearly five feet seven inches. "Many Dutch," says the AP, "are much taller than average. So many, in fact, that four years ago the government adjusted building codes to raise the standards for door frames and ceilings. Doors must now be seven feet, six and one-half inches high.

Which leads me to wonder . . . why are the Dutch not noted for basketball?

~~Angie

The cutest thing ever!

I found this carved reading glasses holder at the Ten Thousand Villages store. Isn't it a hoot? Hubby and I have glasses scattered all over the house, so I wished I had a "carved nose" for every room!

~~Angie

Fox to Produce Christian movies

Yesterday's LA Times reported that 20th Century Fox plans to produce a film based on a novel of Janette Oke's, and has several other works in the pipeline. I find it heartening--and illustrative--to read that Fox movies will be targeting "evangelical Christians." See www.foxfaith.com.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"If this is something Fox is doing only to exploit the audience � or if it's something they don't believe in or are doing cynically � then there could be problems," said Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, a box-office reporting service. "There isn't a huge turnout for these films unless they speak to what Christianity is all about. People want a guide to life and Hollywood has ignored that by saying nothing or dwelling on vices."

Over the last four years, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has quietly built a network to mobilize evangelical Christian moviegoers in an era of diminishing box-office returns. The network includes 90,000 congregations and a database of more than 14 million mainly evangelical households.

FoxFaith films, to be based on Christian bestsellers, will have small budgets of less than $5 million each, compared with the $60-million average. The movies each will be backed by $5-million marketing campaigns. Although that is skimpy compared with the $36 million Hollywood spends to market the average movie, the budget is significant for targeting a niche audience, especially one as fervent as many evangelical Christians.

For instance, "The Passion" grossed $612 million worldwide, thanks in part to its appeal to Christians. Another spiritual odyssey, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," took in $745 million globally. Most recently, Christians came out for this summer's controversial "The Da Vinci Code," which has brought in $754 million worldwide.

Other studios also are beginning to dip an oar into Christian waters. New Line Cinema's "The Nativity Story," scheduled to be released in December, tells the story of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter to give birth to Jesus. Legendary Pictures, which has a multi-film deal with Warner Bros., is planning to make a movie version of John Milton's epic 17th century poem about the fall of man, "Paradise Lost.

"Fox seems to be getting a warm reception from the Christian community. "It is extremely satisfying to be taken seriously," said Nancy Neutzling, vice president of marketing for Word Distribution, FoxFaith's distributor to Christian retailers. "It's like we have arrived."

Angie here again: I love that distinction pointed out in the quote from Brandon Gray--no matter how subtle or overt the Christian message, these movies--as well as Christian novels--function as a guide to life. What makes a novel Christian? It is more than the author's world view, though that often comes into play. I, a Christian writer, am certainly capable of writing erotica, but I certainly wouldn't call it "Christian." In the strictest sense, something is "Christian" if it reflects Christ, and that is what I want my novels to do.

I'm delighted that Fox Faith has determined to make movies that do the same thing.

~~Angie

Home Again

I had better get back to blogging . . . or my mother and Aunt Irene won't know what's become of me. (VBG).

Got home yesterday around lunchtime after a full week in North Carolina. Had a grand time--not only did I get some great ideas for my book (it's going to be sooo much better), but I had a fabulous time with Nancy Rue and reconnected with some old friends from the previous Donald Maass event I attended last year in Utah. Also got to spend time with Christian writers Meg Mosely and Deanne Gist--lovely ladies and talented novelists.

And I have been bitten really hard by the puppy bug. This will not be easier to take in the days ahead because I have to read "Marley and Me" for my book club this month . . . sigh. Right now I want to go down to our humane society and adopt every homeless hound in the place, but that's not practical. One must be practical.

I bonded with some other "dog folks" at the Maass event--Vickie G and Sherri M. were both dog people, and I think we honestly talked more about our dogs than our writing. Those ladies are both BIG dog people, as am I, and we love our 100 plus pound pets. I'll have to take a new picture of Charley and post it--he's become quite a handsome boy.

So--today I have to go back to the dentist (big sigh) and do some errands, for tomorrow I must get back to work. And in the mean time, I will try to think of something profound to write in this space.

~~Angie

P.S.

Photo: The Montreat conference center.

Yesterday (Friday) I sent out one of my quarterly email newsletters. If you didn't get one and you'd like to get them, you need to sign up in the "newsletter" box in the sidebar. If you think you have signed up and still didn't get one, you may not have responded to the confirmation email. It's a "no-spam" newsletter, so after you sign up, you have to reply to the confirmation email via the proper link in order to be "activated."

So if you want one of the autumn newsletters (and winter, and spring, and summer), sign up in the box to your right. I'll be sending out another batch of autumn emails for those who didn't get the first one.

Tootles!

~~Angie

Checking in

I've been neglectful of this space, and for that I'm sorry. Still up here at the lovely stone castle they call the Montreat Retreat Center and attending the Donald Maass intensive week--two more days to go. Getting new ideas for the WIP and have successfully begged my editor for an extension of my Oct. 1 deadline.

This is my second intensive, and while I'm not learning tons of new information, it's simply helpful to have someone standing there WAITING for you to go deeper, think harder, try new approaches. I highly recommend this for any writer who needs to grow and be challenged to try new things. After 100 plus books, I know it's been helpful for me.

So I'll have my work cut out for me when I get back. This is such a lovely area that it's tempting to sit and stare out the window instead of writing, but the deadline calls . . .

Wish you could see this roaring fire and feel the chill in the air. The chill hasn't reached us in Florida, but I've been very grateful for my all-purpose wool blazer. It's become my uniform of the day.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

P.S. I have discovered this store called "Ten Thousand Villages." Not only does it have really unique and beautiful gifts from around the world, but it is a "fair trade" enterprise, meaning that the money you pay for the item actually goes to the artisans who created it--many of whom are in developing countries. I went there yesterday and bought a few gifts, and I think I'll go back again today. These stores are scattered all over the country and I understand they also have a website for their best-selling items. (http://www.tenthousandvillages.com) I HIGHLY recommend this--it's ministry in motion.

P.S.S. Of course there's time to shop at an intensive! :-) Priorities, you know . . .

Angie

Off to work

Yesterday I drove over to Orlando to sign books at the SIBA convention--Southern Independent Booksellers Association. It was a nice book fair, smaller than the national event, naturally, but well-attended by enthusiastic folks. The only hitch in the day was that my car's air conditioning gave out half way to Orlando . . . on what was probably the hottest day of the year. So I rolled down the windows and breezed home in the heat.

Tomorrow morning early I'm off to Nashville, where I'm going to meet Nancy Rue. Together we're driving to Montreat, NC--beautiful place--to attend the Donald Maass Intensive workshop. This will be my second time and Nancy's first, but I'm ready for some in-depth time on the WIP. So we'll be hauling our laptops, our WIP notebooks, our iPods, and lots of snacks. Brain food, you know.

I'm not sure how frequently I'll be blogging this coming week because I'm not sure about the internet connections. But I'll try to pop in every once in a while.

That's about it from this end. Have a great week!

~~Angie

Make Your Own Seal

Found something cute the other day--you can make your own seal of approval. Use one on your web site, make up a certificate for when your kids actually have their rooms picked up and give them the "Good Housekeeping" seal! It's fun and easy, so go wild!

http://www.says-it.com/seal/index.php

P.S. Can ANYONE tell me why blogger sometimes simply refuses to accept a photograph? I'm stumped.

~~Angie

Jack Smink in Concert

On September 2, hubby and I headed out to the Largo Cultural Center to see Jack Smink, ETA, in concert. (ETA=Elvis Tribute Artist.)

All I can say is . . . I have to put this experience in a book. (VBG)

Jack was great in his Elvis outfits--he sang very well and the concert was a lot of fun. What fascinated me was the audience--such a wide array of fans, both for Elvis and for Jack in particular. I was expecting mostly older people--after all, Elvis was popular in my mother's generation. Even my hubby is a post-Elvis guy, and he's eight years older than me. But yes, there were older people, but the Monkeys, Metallica, and Sesame Street fans were also represented. Everyone had a grand time.

One of the things that tickled us most was Jack's practice--based on Elvis's habit--of handing out sweat-soaked scarves to the audience. Jack had at least a hundred scarves prepared, and at several places during the concert he invited folks down to get one. His helper--a guy in black he kept referring to as "Fonzie," would drape the scarf around Jack's neck, then Jack would rip it off and hand it to the reaching audience members. Jack's scarves weren't exactly sweat-soaked, but nary a scarf went out unless it had been around his neck first.

I enjoyed the music, but I also enjoyed sitting back and watching all the bobbing heads around me--including the heads of a couple of other Elvi in the audience.

Jack and I went to high school together, and he used to call me "Well Well." (My maiden name is Elwell). In the middle of his concert, between songs, he calls out, "Well Well, are you here?"

"I'm here," I holler back.

"I can't see you," says Jack. (The lights). "So you've got the advantage--and that's the first time."

"Not hardly," I yell back.

Tee hee. I wasn't sure he remembered all those debates we used to have in the school bus. Then again, maybe he did.

~~Angie

P.S. Kelli S. pointed me to a website yesterday and I got a little carried away. I was trying to make Heavenly Daze tee shirts available to the HD yahoo group and . . . well, see for yourself at this link.

BOM: Questions and Answers

Photo: the iUniverse edition of Hartford, designed to keep the series in print

Questions?

Deborah asked: did Gilda ever know that Roberta was her real mother? and maybe I'm just remembering wrong, but if Taregan took over Daniel's identity, do his kids ever know this b/c in Rehoboth i seem to recall he's referred to only as Daniel.

Deborah, it's really hard to remember! I don't think Gilda ever knew much about her history because she was so young when she was taken away--she would only have know what the other boys would tell her, and I'm not sure even the other boys knew that Roberta was her biological mother.

And no, Taregan selflessly spent his life "redeeming" Daniel's reputation. He was Daniel from that time forward--pretty magnanimous of him, wasn't it? Some might say he was selfish and didn't want the switch to be discovered, but I know his heart. (VBG)

Had a wonderful trip to Chicago these last two days, and learned so much from reading Francine Prose's new book, READING LIKE A WRITER.

And now a question from me: about the WIP--"Fairlawn" has always been the series name in my mind's eye, and I'm not even sure we're going to put the series name on the books. Instead I'm thinking of using things people typically say at funerals.

So far the three tentative titles I have are:

Doesn't She Look Good?

Receiving Friends from 3 to 4

and

In Lieu of Flowers

What do you think? Can you think of any other little phrases people are always saying at funerals? I like these three particularly because they can work in more than one way . . . and thanks to Becky and Karen at Tyndale for brainstorming with me!

~~Angie

BOM: The Results

Charles Towne was one of my favorites to write. I am always learning, and I remember that I'd just learned something before I wrote this book . . . and now I can't remember what it was! Maybe it was "the hero's journey" form for plotting . . . or maybe it had something to do with romance, because this book has a classic romantic story line.

In any case, despite the readers who "didn't get it," the results were satisfying. In its review of Charles Towne, Romantic Times said: "Angela Elwell Hunt single-handedly sets a new standard for inspirational historical romance with her high quality of writing." Romantic Times, May 1998

Pretty heady stuff for someone who was just beginning to feel like she had a handle on writing novels . . .

And my readers have been very kind. Here's a bit from one email:

On a personal note, I have finished Charles Towne and want to know
if there are any more books in this series. These books have deepened my
understanding as to how this country began and how the church (Puritans in
particular) were too legalistic and prejudiced against the Native
Americans. It has been exciting to go back in time to see and feel what
might have gone on back then (as well as sometimes devastating). For a
person like me who visualizes everything she reads, this series has been very
fascinating! I hope that is not the last of this series -- would someone
please drop me a note and let me know for sure?

And another:

. . . I begged my mother to allow me to read your Keepers of the Ring series, my mother's favorites, but she held off on me until I turned 15 and studied American history in high school. Well, the magical year arrived this spring, and I have adored the books every bit as much as I adored your books earlier, but especially the last one, Charles Towne. Maybe it's because, like just about every other teenager in America, I've been sucked into the vortex known as Pirates of the Caribbean, and with a few tweaks here and there, Johnny Depp casts a near-perfect image of Trace.

Tomorrow: Your Questions, my attempts to Answer. If you have a question, be sure to leave it in the comments.

~~Angie

BOM: The Editing

Rehoboth is the book that deals with King Philip. And it's interesting that this book's cover falls on "editing" day, because I learned something important in the editing process of this book.

Rick Blanchette, obviously male, edited this book with me, and he helped me to see things from the male perspective. Now I've always thought that male readers and I get along pretty well, because I'm not an emotional writer--not much, anyway. A teenage boy once told me that he liked these particular books because they had a "low mush quotient." LOL!

In any case, Rick pointed out a scene where I had Rachelle and her brother, Mojag, meet another couple as they were out walking. I had written the scene from Mojag's POV, and I had him just casually observing the scene.

Rick said "No way."

"What?"

"No way a young man who's with his sister is going to look at a new pretty girl without also trying to size up the guy with her. He'd be wondering what their relationship was . . . and he'd be thinking, Could I take him in a fight?"

LOL! Well. I learned that if I am going to write from a male POV, I need to adjust my thinking. Maybe scratch my armpits occasionally or something. But there's a definite difference.

Tomorrow: The Results

~~Angie

BOM: The Writing

I loved writing Hartford. I've long been fascinated by stories that explore duality, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So I created twins, Daniel and Taregan, one who was attracted to the English life, one who preferred the native life.

In writing Rehoboth, I explored the true story of King Philip, an amazing Indian leader who knew his tribe was doomed against the English. I hope my admiration for the man comes through . . . and I wondered how I would react if I faced the obstacles he did.

In writing Charles Towne, I skipped forward a few years. I wanted to write about slavery, both literal and spiritual. So I created a character, Trace Bettencourt, and made him a slave to guilt. His job? He's a pirate who goes around "liberating" slave ships bound for the colonies.

I remember that I went to Charleston by myself, stayed in an old bed and breakfast, and wandered around the historical district to get a feel for the place. Not much there from the early historical period, but I picked up some wonderful books on Charleston that I would probably never have run across otherwise.

I think it was with Charles Towne that I realized that not all my readers are going to "get it." I remember that my editor sent the manuscript out to some test readers. One of them remarked, "This book is about slavery. Slavery doesn't exist anymore. So what's the point?"

Sigh. When you write a layered story, some readers aren't going to peer past the top layer. Fact of Life #269.

Tomorrow: the editing

~~Angie

BOM: The Research

Fortunately, the research for this book was far easier than scraping facts together about the twelfth century. I was able to find copies of the original correspondence of several people who'd been on the voyage to Roanoke, plus the complete passenger list.

As I researched the series, I ran across bizarre (to me) stories of how the English Christian settlers persecuted the native Americans they found. Embarrassingly horrible stories about how they killed . . . trust me, some of our forefathers were Christian in name only. I became fascinated with the stories of King Phillip, the real Pocahontas, her uncle, the slave trade, etc.

And each book had a spiritual theme that dealt with where I was in life. I used the theme of suffering in Jamestown, because that settlement truly fell upon hard times, including a smallpox epidemic. (The English gave smallpox-contaminated blankets to the Indians and entire villages were wiped out.) At the time, my church had been going through a season of suffering--two of our young people had died in unrelated accidents, and another had just been permanently paralyzed . . . an accident on a youth missions trip.

So each novel involved real, little-known history as well as a spiritual theme that came from whatever I was living through at the time.

I have a personal guideline when I write historical fiction: I feel free to create characters, but I never knowingly contradict historical fact. Fortunately, American history is rich . . . and the stories of our first colonies were too fascinating for me to pass up. I loved using them as a basis for novels.

Tomorrow: the writing

~~Angie