The e-mail from Trafford Publishing says that the first copy of my long anticipated book is on its way with FedEx and is expected to arrive at my house sometime this week. I know what the book looks like; the first picture up above shows the book's front cover. The second picture shows part of the back cover. In between the front and back cover are 440 pages of text and illustrations. It has taken eight years to produce the book; I know the text of the book and all the illustrations intimately. However, I'm sure the present sense of completion and accomplishment is not anywhere near the same that I will feel when I finally hold the published book in my hands.
I knew I was to write this book and get it published; I had definite leading from God about that! However, for the manner of distributing this book, that is, what comes next, I don't know yet.
In the meantime, I'll share with you here what AFTER THE DEVASTATIONS- THE JOURNEY is about and how it came to be written.
First of all, you can read what is written above on the back cover of the book. That will give you a simplified idea of the book's story line. And then, below, you can read two other summarys. The first will be a short blurb that won't take long to read. After that will be the actual preface of the book.
SHORT BLURB-
AFTER THE DEVASTATIONS- THE JOURNEY was written in the aftermath of 9/11 in response to the increasing threat of international terrorism. It is a fictional account of how believers might live out their faith at a time when enemy occupation would keep Christians from gathering, owning a Bible, or speaking the name of Jesus. This book can be read as an adventure story, as a coming-of-age book, as a mirror of the selfish motives that lie within each of us, or as an encouragement in times of suffering. In addition, the exciting adventures of this book and the accompanying artwork are parables, in themselves, of distintictive doctrines of the Christian faith that set Christianity apart from other world religions.
PREFACE-
Like so many others on September 11, 2001, I watched the television in shock and disbelief as people jumped to their death from the inferno of the burning- and soon to collapse- Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. That event by itself was overwhelmingly tragic and terrible, but more horror was on its way. Another plane had been hijacked and was poised to attack the Pentagon.
I'll never forget where I was standing in my living room when the television image shifted from the Twin Towers in New York City to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. I had to lean on the chair in front of me to steady myself as I saw smoke and flames rising from our nation's military command post. As the wife of a career Army officer, I instantly recognized the significance of an enemy attack on the Pentagon. It was far more frightening to me than the attack on the World Trade Center. I knew something was taking place that meant our nation's very existence was at stake.
In those moments numerous questions raced through my mind. What would be next after the attack on the Pentagon? Was my country being overrun by an unknown enemy before my very eyes? What would it be like to be a prisoner-of-war in my own country? How could I function without the freedom of self- determination, speech, and religion?
For weeks after that dreadful day, I kept thinking about those questions even though, thankfully, no more awful attacks ocurred.
It was revealed that Muslim extremists were the cause of the atrocities of 9/11. For that reason, as time passed, I reflected upon the belief differences between Christianity and Islam. I knew that the claims that Jesus made about himself were unique. His declarations separated Christianity from Islam and all other world religions. Indeed, the Christian faith was vastly different from all other faith systems. As a teacher and a student of the Bible, I wondered how I could define those differences if I was ever asked.
A few months later I was having lunch with a family member at the local pizzaeria. As we talked about 9/11, the plot for AFTER THE DEVASTATIONS- THE JOURNEY took form in its entirety within moments in my mind. I grabbed a napkin out of the dispenser on the table, borrowed a pen, and quickly wrote down the essense of the story. The plot has remained essentially unchanged since then. It has taken eight years to work out what was scribbled on a paper napkin in a minute or two that day.
Having never written a book before, I began to consider what was necessary for the task. First of all, it was important to develop the personalities of the people who would act out the story; a novel is weak when its characters are not well defined. Therefore, I purchased six small artist's manikins and molded them with distinguishing faces, hairstyles, and body shapes. After that, I designed and sewed clothing appropriate for each of them to wear. In that way, I was able to see the people I was writing about, and later on I was able to pose the manikins as models for the accompanying artwork.
Visual illustrations are a profound teaching tool. Because of that, I knew I could make the book more appealing and the Christian teaching easier to grasp if I included pictures. Therefore, although I am not a professional artist, I decided to do a watercolor painting for each chapter of the book and for each teaching presented. Later on, however, when I attended a writer's conference, I learned that book publishers would not accept a writer's artwork for publication. Since my pictures had become an integral part of the story text, I realized I would have to self-publish the book if I ever wanted it published. Unfortunately, for me to publish it in color would be cost prohibitive. Therefore the illustrations in this book are in tones of gray. I regret that, but it could not be helped.
Young people are our future; they need to be mentored by sacrificially caring adults. Therefore, I wrote the old couple, Homer and Tillie, into that kind of nurturing role. I know I am a dreamer, but I wish every young person had such a wonderful couple in their life to guide them. The reading ability and interests of young people were kept in mind as I wrote this book. However, there is much contained here for every age.
Family members and dear friends kindly posed for me as a photographic aid for the artwork. Particularly precious to me are the poses of my father's hand (seen in the pages ahead as Homer's hand) and the poses of my mother's hand (seen in the pages ahead as Tillie's hand). Living out their lives on the family farm, my father and mother modeled well what the Christian life should look like. They passed away during the writing of this book; I will forever be grateful for their example and their influence upon me.
The six people I created to write about have become very dear to me, especially as I watched them grow in character and interact with one another. As odd as it sounds, I have grown to love them. At times during the writing of this book I was emotionally undone by what I had to write about them. I was repeatedly reminded by others that these six people were not real, but only figments of my imagination. However, as I wrote the story, these six people were indeed alive and real to me. What they experienced, many of us have experienced in one way or another. The task of writing has been hard- very hard- but in the end emotionally and spiritually satisfying for me.
This book can be read on several different levels. It can be read these ways:
Simply a cliff-hanging adventure story.
A coming-of-age book that chronicles the maturing of young adults who embody idealism and dreams to change the future for the good.
A revelation and recognition of selfish motives that lie within each of us.
An introduction to learn about the person of Jesus, the claims he made about himself, and how following him reshapes people's lives.
An encouraging resource if, indeed, one day in the future our nation is destroyed through enemy occupation, economic ruin, and moral anarchy.
A book intended to strengthen the faith of Christians to endure now during difficult times, and if necessary, in the future when church gatherings may be outlawed and Bibles banned.
The title of this book applies to all of us. AFTER THE DEVASTATIONS-THE JOURNEY. Our lives are like that. We all have periods of tribulation and discouragement to endure, but life goes on. How we react to the difficulties in our life's journey makes us what we are.
It is my hope that this story about six people whom I have come to love will be a pleasure for others to read. Furthermore, it is my hope and prayer that many readers will consider the claims of Jesus and let him accompany them on their journey both now and throughout eternity.
Like I said earlier, I'm waiting to hold the published book in my hands for the first time later this week. I was faithful to carry out the assignment given me by the Lord, I did what was asked of me, I followed the plan. Whether others are touched by the results of my labor and whether others are blessed by the writing of this book, that is not in my hands, but in God's. I can rest in this truth from His Word: Many are the plans in the mind of a man (or woman), but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. Proverbs 19:21
