Ginger Discrimination

Okay, I'll admit it--I am not a natural redhead.  In fact, I'm not sure what my natural color is anymore.  I was blonde growing up, and the blonde darkened, and now, if I don't make it to the salon in time, I have a gray fringe that creeps in around my hairline. 

A couple of years ago I was in London and happened to pick up a British tabloid.  On the editorial page I found a column written by a "ginger-haired" woman--a red-head.  She wrote of how she'd been teased, criticized, and looked down on in Britain because of her ginger-colored hair.  She reminded her readers that Prince Charles had made a disparaging remark upon learning that Prince Harry's hair was "ginger-coloured."   And so, the columnist finished, she was going to America where red-heads were celebrated.  

While I'm confessing that I'm not a natural red-head, I should also add that I do lay a distant claim to the color, as many of my cousins ARE natural gingers.  (See photo--that's cousins Alyce, Belinda, me, and Melissa).  

I decided to address the topic of ginger-prejudice (which isn't so marked in the U.S., I admit) after stumbling across this web page--which contains some of the most beautiful photos of ginger-headed folks I've ever seen.  Aren't those babies adorable?  

So if you have ginger-hair--no matter how you got it--remember that while Blondes may have more fun, my hairdresser says "redheads are remembered!"  :-) 

And a happy Valentine's day to all of you!  

~~Angie 

Miracles beneath your feet . . .

Do you think of ants as lowly creatures?  The Bible says not even kings' palaces are off-limits to them.  

A team of scientists poured concrete down an ant hill, waited for the concrete to dry, and then dug out the surrounding dirt.  The subterranean city they found will astound you.  

Take three minutes and watch it here.  "There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise: Ants--they aren't strong, but they store up food all summer."  (Prov. 30:24-25). 

To see more wonders from the animal kingdom, check out this video of polar bears and dogs that have become pals.  Think of them as Republicans and Democrats, and you'll see what a miracle this is.  :-) 

~~Angie 

If you Need a Giggle . . .

This movie clip is guaranteed to provide one.  This quartet of babies is just too cute!  Thanks to Lisa Samson for sending it to me!  

BTW, I just finished reading the ARC of Lisa's new book, THE PASSION OF MARY-MARGARET.  This book is going to be a must-read . . . it's lovely and moving and I know I will carry certain ideas from it for the rest of my life.  You can pre-order it here . . . and I promise, you won't be disappointed.  

Mary-Margaret is a Catholic lay-sister who experiences visions of Jesus . . . but she doesn't publicize them. Anyway, it may sound strange to say this, but her visions became so real to me that I will never forget them.  A powerful story about love and sacrifice and obedience.  

~~Angie

Sweet Wedding . . .

I want to show you all something that I think is soooo cool.  

One of the benefits of staying in one place for a long time is seeing the kids you had in middle school grow up, get married, and send their children to your middle school department.  :-)  (Remember, my hubby is a middle school youth pastor, and has been one for over 30 years).  

Anyway, Hubby is frequently asked to perform weddings, and one of our girls is Chinese. She's getting married in Taiwan, so Gary wasn't able to pop over there to do her wedding.  But she brought him the traditional gift, a favor everyone who attended her wedding received.  I think this is so wonderful more people ought to do it.  :-) 

It's a box in a gift bag.  Notice the lovely velvet bow and the real silk flowers in the bride's bouquet.  When you open the box, you see dozens of individually packaged cookies and mints. When you open the "bride and groom" boxes, you see even more cookies!  

I know we'll be enjoying these treats for a long time to come.  They're not as sweet as American cookies, but they're still delicious.  I just thought this was the coolest idea ever! 

I'd tell you how to order them, but all the info was written in Chinese.  :-/  If you want to see the website, look here.  

And good news!  The UPS man pulled up yesterday with an unexpected surprise--the first box of copies of SHE'S IN A BETTER PLACE.  The third Fairlawn book is officially off the press!  

~~Angie 

A New Book Coming Out

A few years ago, Nancy and I looked out on our class of  advanced "Nangie" students and spotted a familiar face--Jill Nelson, already a published author, was taking our novel writing class.  I'm as pleased as punch to tell you about her newest release from Steeple Hill.  Jill's a terrific writer, so if you like mystery and mayhem, this book is for you! 

Evidence of Murder

By Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Publisher: Steeple Hill

 The photographs Samantha Reid uncovers in her new store are shocking. Horrifying. And dangerous. This new evidence could reopen a decade-old multiple homicide case that someone wants desperately to keep closed. And when the evidence comes out, a reluctant Samantha is drawn straight into the spotlight. Then she meets Ryan Davidson, the last surviving member of the murdered family. In spite of herself, she’s drawn in by his need to find the truth. Together, they work to unravel the mystery, while the killer works to keep the secrets buried—forever. 

AUTHOR BIO

By day, Jill is a manager at my local health care complex. By night, she morphs into a wild and crazy writer, itching to share with her readers stories full of adventure seasoned with humor, romance, and faith. Jill and her husband have been married for over 27 years, and they enjoy life in rural Minnesota, where they raised four children and have a grandbaby due any day.  

Visit Jill’s website at http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com

You can get this book directly from your local bookstore, or online here:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0373443277/jillelizabeth-20  

~~Angie

Looking for a Good Movie?

Christianity Today recently posted its list of the ten "most redeeming" movies of 2008.  I've only seen two on the list--"Wall-E" and "The Visitor," but I agree with those choices.  I'll have to add the others to my Netflix queue.  

You can check out the list here . . . and remember, "redeeming" does not necessarily mean "Kid-friendly."  

Enjoy! 

~~Angie 

A special surrogate mommy

A reader who'd read UNSPOKEN recently sent me these pictures.  Remember how Sema the gorilla didn't like cats of any sort?  Obviously, this chimp has no problem with them!  She often helps her keeper help with raising orphaned tigers.  The chimp is named Anjana, and she is obviously a tender "mommy."  

~~Angie 

BOM: Questions and Answers

Thanks for the questions. Let's hop to them: 

Sally asked:  How far in advance do you work on a novel?
Give an example of how/when an idea came to you for one of your books.

Most novels have been percolating in my brain for over a year by the time I start to write them.  Every once in a while I'll get an idea with an accompanying sense of urgency--THE DEBT--was one of those--and I know I'm supposed to write it ASAP.  That always involves writing my editor and explaining that though I'm contracted to write XYZ, I'd really like to write ABC instead.  To their credit, most editors will allow a writer to switch, because they all seem to want a writer to follow his/her passion.  

A novel requires four pieces before I can begin to assemble the puzzle:  the plot, the characters, the setting, and the theme.  I usually get the plot and/or setting first, and I create characters to fit the story.  For instance, I read about researchers in the rain forest canopy years before I figured out a plot, took time to go to the Amazon, and completed enough research to begin writing THE CANOPY.  

Right now, I have ideas in my head for the following stories:  a woman searching for an orphan in Guatemala, a story about a fake psychic, a story about a magical drugstore telephone, a story about three sisters, a story about Elizabeth I, and a story about a man given three pieces of prophecy about his life in his youth.  I have to find a publisher willing to contract them first, then I have to write them.  So some of those stories may be waiting a while, and I'm sure they'll change a bit while they're waiting.  That's okay--it's good for stories to percolate.  :-) 

 

 Mocha with Linda Says: 11:35 AM  

Started Brothers yesterday and it is as good as I anticipated. Had to make myself go to bed last night!

What made you choose Simeon? I know Reuben convinced the others not to kill Joseph, and Judah has a "speaking part" in the Bible account of selling Joseph, but what captured you about Simeon? Or was it stuff later in the 12 tribes?

Simeon was chosen for me, as the Bible says he was the one chosen to stay behind when the other brothers went back to Canaan.  So he was the one who remained "on stage" with Joseph, so he was the one I chose to use as the protagonist.  Plus, the more I learned about his family background, the more interesting he became to me.  What a hothead . . . but what made him that way?  Hmmm.  That was the intriguing part of the puzzle.  

Thanks for joining me for another BOM! 

~~Angie 

BOM: Results and Reader Reaction

Tee hee.  I had to take a picture of the sign outside the King's Academy because it's the first time I've ever seen "DR. Angela Hunt" on a sign.  What an amazing school!  I've had a wonderful time with their students. 

I don't remember any unusual reader reactions to BROTHERS, except one: I regularly donate books to a prison ministry, and BROTHERS seemed to strike a chord with men who, like Simeon, have been imprisoned.  I didn't consider that possibility at all as I was writing, but in hindsight, I can see where Simeon's experience, even his troubled family backstory, might reverberate with people who have been incarcerated for any length of time.  

Tomorrow:  Q&A, so if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments box.  Thanks! 

~~Angie 

One word meme

 Here is what you are supposed to do...use only one word for each of the following...and please don't spoil the fun...copy and paste into your own note, type in your answers and tag a bunch of people - including me.

Where is your cell phone....................purse
Your hair....................................... bushy 
Your father....................................Albert
Your favorite thing...........................Kindle
Your dream last night........................complicated
Your favorite drink........................... Diet Coke
Your dream/goal.............................Rome
The room you are in..........................hotel
Your fear.......................................roaches
Where do you want to be in 6 years.......working
Muffins..........................................pecans 
One of your wish list items...................grandbaby
Where you grew up...........................Rockledge
The last thing you did.........................slept
What are you wearing........................pjs
Your TV.........................................news
Your pets........................................mastiffs
Your computer.................................MacAir
Your life..........................................busy
Your mood.......................................numb
Missing someone...............................hubby
Your car..........................................crossover
Favorite store...................................T.J. Maxx
Your summer.....................................hot!
Your favorite color.............................periwinkle
When is the last time you laughed...........yesterday
Last time you cried............................. yesterday

Three people who email me....................BJ, Belinda, Mom

Three of my favorite foods...................pizza, spaghetti, flan

Three places I would rather be right now...home, Rome, Bunratty
Three people I think will respond.............BJ, Linda, Sally

Book reading right now . . . THE PASSION OF MARY MARGARET, by Lisa Samson

BOM: The Editing

Hey, you know what?  This headline just in from a Hallmark Press Release:  Original Movie Ranks as Highest-Rated Cable Movie of the Week, Highest-Rated Telecast of the Night and Boosts Network to 
Rank #1 on Saturday, Jan. 31 

You helped make that possible!  Many thanks for spreading the word about The Note 2: Taking a Chance on Love!

The movie will air again on Friday, Feb 6th at 9 p.m. EST, and Sunday, Feb. 15, at 9 p.m. EST.  I'm sure there will be other showings as well. 

Having a great time with the faculty and students at the King's Academy in West Palm Beach.  Was right in the middle of my chapel talk yesterday when the power went out.  In some schools, that would spell pandemonium and disaster, but these students settled right back down. We had a great time. 

LOL.  I really don't remember much about the editing of BROTHERS--the original edition was published so many years ago!   The process must have been routine, because I don't remember any major changes or heavy discussions about content. 

BTW, if this is Thursday, I am speaking to the older students at the King's Academy, a Christian school in West Palm Beach.   On Friday, I'll be doing a workshop for staff from several local Christian schools. Fun!   :-)  

Tomorrow: the results/reader reaction 

~~Angie 

BOM: The Writing

I am sitting in the Tampa airport at 5:30 a.m. Surely there is something twisted about this picture.  :-/  The sun's not even up yet, so why am I? Oh, that's right.  I'm speaking at a school in West Palm Beach this morning--the King's Academy. 

Interesting news!  Waterbrook has decided to re-release and freshen the Heirs of Cahira O'Connor series, and they'll now be available in value-priced (translation: inexpensive) editions.  I love the new cover of the first book (see photo).  So if you haven't read these tales of the red-haired, white-streaked women who dared to break the mold, here's your chance!  The first one, The Silver Sword, is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com. 

I don't remember too much about the writing of Brothers, except that I was conscious of adding a bit more romance.  This is because historical romance was "hot" at the time, and I was trying to make my book fit in with the pack, so to speak.  So BROTHERS is the story of Joseph, true, but it is also a love story between an angry man and a wounded woman.  

Tomorrow: the editing 

BTW, speaking of editing, have you heard that Britain has just decided to drop all apostrophes from highway signs?  How can they do that?  I predict a stealthy group of apostrophe replacers, people armed with thin paint brushes who go throughout the United Kingdom, correcting the King's English. Then again, maybe not. 

~~Angie 

BOM: The Research

Since much of the research for BROTHERS took place while I was writing DREAMERS, I hope you'll forgive a little repeating here.  My first inclination for research was to travel to Egypt . . . but since I often travel alone on research trips, that didn't seem like such an appealing idea.  So I decided to travel to London instead, because the British Museum has an incredible array of ancient Egyptian artifacts.  Plus, I was also working on books set in England/Ireland, so I could do a lot of research in only one trip. 

In writing biblical fiction, it'd be a mistake to read only Bible-based books.  I read those, of course, lots of commentaries and the like, but I also read books by Jewish rabbis and Muslim authors. I didn't agree with everything I read, but seeing Joseph/Yosef through the eyes of these authors helped to sharpen my own way of thinking. 

For BROTHERS, I also read THE RED TENT, as it centers on the subject of Dinah, Jacob's only daughter. However, though THE RED TENT is certainly well-written, it emphasized paganism to the point that I thought it became unrealistic.  Jacob may have been a hands-off parent, but I doubt he would have allowed the sort of pagan worship depicted in The Red Tent.  So I did not rely on that book for any of my research. 

I devoured all things Egyptian, learning about their clothing, their music, their art, their customs, religion, and philosophy. I visited museums and took lots of pictures.  It was truly a fascinating period in history. 

One tricky problem was the timeline.  At one point Scripture says that the people of Israel were in Egypt for 430 years, and if you take that time literally, it's hard to find a place where Joseph fits AND Moses fits.  Either Joseph falls too early, before the arrival of the Hyksos, or Moses falls too late. 

I found the answer--a delightful one that fits with literal Scripture and with the historical timeline.  And you'll find the answer spelled out in the interview in the back of the book.  :-)  

Whatever research I did, I used the Bible as my "plumb line" for truth whenever the so-called "experts" didn't agree on a matter.  And I came away happy with the result. 

One thing I realized in the writing of this book (and other historicals) is this:  people are generally the same, no matter when they live.  They have the same emotions, passions, desires, and needs. I think that's what makes historical fiction so compelling. The scenes and technologies may be different, but the people of yesteryear deal with the same issues that modern people face. 

Tomorrow: the writing. 

~~Angie 

BOM: How the Idea Germinated

As famine overtakes the land, Simeon leads his brothers into Egypt to buy grain. He doesn't recognize the vengeful ruler he must bow before: Joseph, his long-lost brother. The very brother Simeon sold into slavery years ago. Now, it is the brash Simeon's turn to know imprisonment. Only Mandisa, the handmaid who interprets the ruler's language, is his saving grace. The beautiful widow and her young son see another side of Simeon, tenderness under the tough exterior. Yet he will never be free to love them until he unshackles the chains of his own heart. 

This one's easy--BROTHERS begins in the same scene where DREAMERS ends, and I knew I wanted to write the story because there was so much of Joseph's story left to tell.  DREAMERS, if you'll recall, is the story of Joseph's youth, imprisonment in Egypt, and his love for Tuya, a fellow slave.  The story ends in the midst of the seven-year famine. 

But what about Joseph's meeting with his brothers?  That story remained to be told, and as I studied the Scriptural account, I found myself struck by the little incidentals in the story--how Joseph selected Simeon to remain behind while the other brothers went back for Benjamin. Why Simeon?  Why not Judah, the first-born?  Because Simeon was a hothead, and frequently caused trouble in the family.  But what made Simeon a hothead?  

Welcome to an in-depth account of a truly dysfunctional family.  By marrying Leah and Rachel (and bedding their two handmaids), Jacob created a series of rivalries among his sons that has few equals.  This was the impetus that inspired me to write the story of Joseph and his brothers, while focusing on Simeon and, to a large part, his sister, Dinah. 

Tomorrow:  the research. 

~~Angie 

Book of the Month: BROTHERS

I have a new release this month, so I thought I'd feature it as the book of the month.  The book is BROTHERS, which picks right up where DREAMERS left off.  You can order it now--it's in stock--through this link. 

Brothers features Joseph and all of his brothers, of course, but it's primarily the story of a woman named Mandisa and Simeon.  Over the next few days I'll be talking about how the story came to be. 

Tomorrow:  how the idea germinated.  :-) 

~~Angie 

Pictures from Texas

Dr. Stephens was kind enough to send me pictures of the Reading Festival this past weekend.  If it looks like we had fun--well, we did!  

~~Angie 

Have You Seen This Toy?

Yes, it's a real toy.  Read through some of the customer reviews for a chuckle . . . or not.  

Soon they'll be making preschool toys where the little characters have duct tape, rolls of plastic sheeting, and gas masks in case of terrorist attack. 

Sheesh.  What a world. 

I spent yesterday at LeTourneau University--spoke at lunch to a group of education students and teachers, then did a Q&A with some folks.  Then had a real treat--Dr. Kathy Stephens took me to a local Chick-fil-A (did I spell that right?) where we held an in-store book-signing and I signed books with the COW!  :-)  It was a lot of fun, and we took pictures.  I'll have to post some as soon as I get copies.  Met some really wonderful folks, including Leslie, one of our blog friends!  

Clyde, I stepped outside and waved to you.  Did you see me?  :-)  

Am flying home today (Saturday) and looking forward . . . to doing the laundry.  

P.S.  Don't forget the showing tonight of "The Note" and "The Note 2" on the Hallmark channel.  Hope you can catch it!  

~~Angie 

If you like illusions . . .

Hello from Longview, Texas!  It's chilly here!  

This is an interesting video clip.  And since distraction is a major element in illusionary magic, I think I understand why the divas of magic show so much cleavage. :-/  It's also amusing how they snarl and leap around from feat to feat.  Bet they burn a lot of calories, don't you think?  

~~Angie

How's Your Reaction time?

I'm flying out this morning to Longview, Texas because I'll be speaking at LaTourneau University on Friday. Looking forward to it.  :-)  I've had a couple of months off, but the travel schedule is picking up again. 

BTW, don't forget that "The Note" and "The Note 2: Taking a Chance on Love" will air on the Hallmark Channel this coming Saturday night.  Check your local station for times. 

And yes, I took the screenplay for the second movie and wrote it up into a novel.  That's supposed to be released in May, along with the DVD.  

This looks like a game, but it's really not--it's a fun way to see how fast your brain and muscles react to visual stimuli.  Click on the little baseball, and then when you see the words "swing batter," click anywhere on the ball field.  The screen will then tell you if you were fast enough to hit the ball.  Interesting, when you think it could also reveal whether you're fast enough to brake to avoid a child, a suddenly-braking driver, etc.  

I started out slow and then got faster . . . . because I knew what to expect.  But in real life, we never expect the unexpected, do we?  :-0 

So . . . how'd you do? 

~~Angie 

In Memory of John Updike

Yesterday's news bulletin: The Author John Updike Has Died at 76

John Updike, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, has died at
76, according to his publisher.

A friend of mine sent this link to an Easter poem John Updike wrote. I was amazed at its beauty and theological truth.  Read it yourself here.  

~~Angie