Happy Times

Today is my parents’ 54th wedding anniversary. They were married in the 50’s in Madison, South Dakota just before my dad was sent to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. He had been drafted and played in the Army band.

For their honeymoon, my parents spent time in New York City going to all the hot jazz spots, including Birdland, which was pretty amazing for those two babes in the woods! Both of them were from rural areas and had met while at a small Lutheran college in Waverly, Iowa. But, my dad, a music lover and musician, was intrepid and they still remember that trip as a highlight of their lives. Of course – it was their honeymoon!

My husband and I watched Grease once again last night – Hollywood’s musical view of high school in the 50’s. My parents’ world and the Grease world were far apart in some ways, and very close in others. The stigma of being an unwed mother and unofficial hot rod car racing did represent certain norms across the entire country. But my parents and the students in their high schools were definitely not as disrespectful of adults as the Grease kids. It just wasn't done – because teachers, principals and parents simply wouldn't tolerate it. Those were the days of physical discipline – a reality missed in the movie.

However, the 50's era was a very special time, and its jazz, pop music style and dancing are great fun and still draw an audience. Perhaps, this music reminds us of a more innocent time – something our society may never recapture or value again.

The Stoning of Soraya M. - Part One

In light of the recent election in Iran and in anticipation of next week’s film opening, I have begun reading the original novel, THE STONING OF SORAYA M. by Freidoune Sahebjam. Sahebjam, who died a little more than a year ago, had led a life fraught with danger as an Iranian-French journalist. Kidnapped and tortured by Islamic militants in Paris in 1979, he was rescued by French police and went underground. He slipped into Iran many times to cover stories there and was the first to break the news about Iran’s use of twelve to fourteen year old boys as soliders.

However, THE STONING OF SORAYA M. may one of his most important because it highlights a global problem – abuse of women by their husbands and corrupt justice systems that condone the men and condemn the women. Although this is a particularly gruesome story of an entire village’s complicity in a stoning, it happens in every country, every day. Christians and Muslims, Europeans and Africans, and yes! even Americans – all face this story, or even the convoluted reverse – where the husband is the victim.

To address this issue, the film website has a “GET INVOLVED” menu button. Anyone who desires to may register their name in support of a petition to the UN calling for women’s human rights.

And, in a more immediate way, readers in the Chicago area can help the Elgin Community Crisis Center. This organization averages one suicide call per day, and without immediate financial assistance will have to close on July 1. Supporters of the center are asking for 25,000 people to donate $10 in the next 24 hours. Contact Jeri Hodal at littlered1321@yahoo.com for more information.

Psalm 103:6 The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.

On Friday... more about the process of turning the book into a film, and a report on the Elgin Community Crisis Center.

FOR ANOTHER FILM ABOUT IRAN: A Cry from Iran

Give and it shall be given back to you

There’s just something about kids and dogs, and sunshine, and green grass. Ahh… the beginning of summer when celebrations abound and a warm day is a treasure, and where babies and 99-year-old grandmas eat cake and ice cream together.

I am reading Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish. The book, an autobiographical story, takes place in Iowa during the Great Depression. And, what I find amazing is that kids still enjoy the same things – sweet treats, running around outside, cuddling up on a lap and playing with animals; and, that multiple generations enjoy each others’ company. They all have something to give and receive from each other.

A happy family and friends’ celebration stokes the fires of peace and prosperity – even when the economy says different. A community that walks in love and care towards each other is recession-proof whether money and jobs do or do not abound. To me, every business decision is a community decision, and should be held to that standard – the larger the company, the more responsibility. And, if our communities took better care and more individual responsibility for each others’ well-being, our government would have much less to do. And, isn’t that really the idea?

Writing for Profit

I just began writing for Examiner.com as Chicago's Christian Fiction reporter. To that end I have written and posted two reviews, one for Distant Echoes by Colleen Coble and the other for Face of Deception by Lis Wiehl. I enjoyed both books and felt confident recommending them. Unlike past writing jobs, I don't get paid by the word or project but by the number of hits on the articles themselves. With so many journalists and writers being laid off and publications closing, this payment method certainly takes the burden of marketing off the employer and, in that sense, forces writers to reach their audiences on their own.

I wonder where all this Internet social media communication flood will end, and I now have some grave concerns about how much more vulnerable we as a society are becoming. Newspapers and magazines don't require electricity to read, and are not dependent on a cable or satellite. What I hope is that somehow after the chaos of the economic crisis and digital conversion, we will still have a fair amount of printed newspapers and magazines that remain well-staffed and viable.

But, for the sake of blatant self-promotion and economic survival, here is a link to my examiner page, please enjoy!

http://www.examiner.com/x-13313-Chicago-Christian-Fiction-Examiner

Don’t like the ending? Look online!

With the publishing world in an undeniable state of change, Michael Hyatt, Thomas Nelson Publishing’s tech-savvy CEO, is taking the bull by the horns by experimenting with digital delivery. A few weeks ago, he and author Colleen Coble offered to readers, via Twitter, a free download of her latest romantic suspense novel, Distant Echoes. Published by Thomas Nelson, the book is the first in her new Aloha Reef series and set in Hawaii. Just recently, Thomas Nelson also gave away a free PDF of its Expanded Bible New Testament – also announced by Hyatt on Twitter.

As many publishers scramble to deal with sales decreases, Hyatt has been forging into new territory. Recently, he blogged about the pros and cons of the Kindle 2, Amazon’s new wireless reading device. As a Kindle user, Hyatt liked its accessibility to over 250,000 titles and fast downloads. However, he believes there will not be wide acceptance until the device has a color screen and touch screen interactivity – standards set by Apple’s iPhone.

An established writer, Coble has adopted a personal and interactive approach to her readers. On Coble’s web site, visitors can: email her; sign up for her newsletter that offers an epilogue to her new paperback, Cry in the Night; see pictures of her family; discover her other novels; or even click on a YouTube link to a video commercial for her novel, Anathema.

What does all this interactivity and digital delivery mean for the future of books? From the looks of it, readers’ immediate accessibility and feedback have already begun altering the way authors tell and publishers sell their stories.

Lilies and Parsley

Funny how a few chilly, rainy days in June will make you very grateful for a sunny 70 degree day in June! The garden plants all seem to be looking fine, although the strawberries are still just as white as they were several days ago, and no parsley seedlings have sprung up, unlike the basil and oregano.

How amazing that the plants and trees in my yard do not complain. They grow when it rains; they hibernate in times of drought. And, I’m sure the parsley will come up in its own good time. If only I could be as patient and unworried as the plants. Jesus said, “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” [Luke 12:27-31 KJV]

So for today, I’ll start by being grateful for sunshine and God’s divine provision.

My New Favorite Place

Christian books in the public library? I never would have guessed.

Since the economy has forced me to change my habits, I began going to the library instead of the bookstore. And, to my utter surprise, the library had most of the authors I wanted to read on their shelves. I found titles by Thomas Nelson, Zondervan and Tyndale House – three big Christian fiction publishers. I had no idea that a public library would offer Christian literature – because I never bothered to look. This has caused me to really re-think my attitude towards libraries. With so much anti-Christian sentiment in media and government, I never dreamed the library would be so fair and broadminded in their offerings.

The Gail Borden Library in Elgin, Illinois is spectacular. Built in 2003, the library’s designers created so many pleasant places to curl up and read – unlike my old haunts, the upscale bookstores. The Gail Borden Library boasts a spectacular round reading room, called the River Room. This light-filled room overlooks the Fox River and has a fireplace! If you want to sip and munch while you read, the La Tazza coffee shop on the first floor brews a great cup of coffee. The staff is pleasant and knowledgeable. And, small meeting rooms are available for small groups.

Having lived in a town without a library for seven years, I had no idea what libraries had become. What a wonderful discovery! So, if your budget is curtailing your reading, check out the public library!