tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84267230561638379132024-02-06T23:05:32.083-07:00Frost CaveThis is a blog for fans and readers of Chris Heimerdinger and LDS fiction, LDS movies, LDS music, and other artforms. I also welcome comments and discussions regarding anything LDS, and especially our testimonies and observations on culture, life, trials, joys, and ultimate successes.Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-9708545311842943962018-06-22T18:49:00.001-06:002018-06-22T18:52:52.092-06:00New Podcast!--"The Mystery of Frost Cave"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've posted our 34th podcast on <a href="http://www.foreverlds.com/">www.ForeverLDS.com</a>! </div>
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"The Mystery of Frost Cave: A true history (almost) stranger than fiction." I published a short chapter note on this topic in Tennis Shoes Vol. 8:"Warriors of Cumorah". However, it didn't even scratch the surface of the fascinating saga surrounding this unique place, featuring the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody and other Rocky Mountain frontiersmen at the turn of the 20th century. </div>
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Did you know this cavern was once designate a U. S. National Monument, right up there with Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon? Then it got UNdesignated. What happened?? A VERY interesting tale.</div>
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The cave today is called "Spirit Mountain Cavern." In my youth these passages were the adventureland that inspired <i>the</i> major plot twist that has been part of the series since Book 1: "Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites." --the legendary "Rainbow Room". </div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">To listen, go to: </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">https://foreverlds.com/podcast/2018/6/the-mystery-of-frost-cave</span></span><br />
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Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-9563342282223804542018-06-05T20:52:00.002-06:002018-06-05T20:52:27.678-06:00Posted on ForeverLDS: "A Jew, a Nephite, and a Jaredite walked into a bar...."<div class="k_1g8rl78zbx l_1g8rl7epjw clearfix" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: -1px; zoom: 1;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've posted Episode 33 of my podcast on <a href="http://www.foreverlds.com/">www.foreverLDS.com</a>. It has a rather unusual name: "A Jew, a Nephite, and a Jaredite walked into a bar...".</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />This is actually Part 2 of last week's podcast: "A Tale of Three Kings" that discusses the convergence of three cultures in the days of King Mosiah I--the Nephites, the Jaredites, and the people of Zarahemla. </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Some concepts revealed will blow your mind, and open listeners up to surprising perspectives about the future of archeology and scientific pursuits in Mesoamerica that few Latter-day Saints have ever contemplated!</span></h4>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://foreverlds.com/podcast/2018/6/a-jew-a-nephite-and-a-jaredite-walked-into-a-bar-">https://foreverlds.com/podcast/2018/6/a-jew-a-nephite-and-a-jaredite-walked-into-a-bar-</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sincerely,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chris Heimerdinger</span></h4>
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Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-43931328595165096622018-05-15T01:07:00.001-06:002018-05-15T01:13:16.282-06:00SECTION 29: The Great Unfolding Plan<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #e06666; font-size: x-large;">DOCTRINE AND COVENANT SECTION 29: The Great Unfolding Plan</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPju6gILfhF68QVHeVqZ5xSXmg3VgPgq9xKCxJPNNts6jGTAVVG0PerMHFKlB9F_X6ynoAJ5NrOXyAnl9acNyCIrAyu5RStmOtMiq1B0hX1nAYnLcoJo1-DJvc2Cj7lMAXX7E6knaLHj0/s1600/Podcast+Armageddon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: #1d2129; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPju6gILfhF68QVHeVqZ5xSXmg3VgPgq9xKCxJPNNts6jGTAVVG0PerMHFKlB9F_X6ynoAJ5NrOXyAnl9acNyCIrAyu5RStmOtMiq1B0hX1nAYnLcoJo1-DJvc2Cj7lMAXX7E6knaLHj0/s320/Podcast+Armageddon.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #1d2129;">I have a new podcast to announce! This one was fun. (Is fun the right word??) I focus on one of my favorite blocks of scripture: </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: red;">Section 29 of the Doctrine and Covenants.</span><span style="color: #1d2129;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #1d2129;">And it's LONG! Didn't some folks tell me they liked longer podcasts? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1d2129;">Also, its fiery, chaotic, and downright beautiful. First time, I think, that I've had a chance to narrate something related to the signs and revelations of the last days. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: red; font-size: large;">Prepare to be utterly consumed with fire! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1d2129;">(Well, not literally. At least...uh...not today. MAYBE a week from Tuesday. Don't pencil in any plans! GO HERE:</span></div>
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Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-15754287352819458702018-03-26T16:19:00.003-06:002018-03-26T16:25:48.327-06:005 Women Who Were Witnesses of the Physical Golden Plates<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="d2bdm" data-offset-key="258cn-0-0">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Greetings! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc;">I've avoided putting stuff on this page lately, because of that evil link stuff to the right and left of the blog. Please avoid clicking on that. Not sure how to remove it, and if anyone else knows, PLEASE let me know at cheimerdinger@gmail.com.</span><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I put up a new podcast/blog on Facebook. Some may have seen it already on BMC. I just made adjustments with text and music. BMC did a GREAT job promoting it, but in the end, it's home is on my own site of foreverlds.com. :)</span><span data-offset-key="3p4dn-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span><span data-offset-key="5kh2s-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">https://foreverlds.com/podcast/2018/3/5-women-who-witnessed-the-physical-gold-plates</span><span data-offset-key="6p6uh-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span><span data-offset-key="7p1dd-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">AND for those who are curious, I announced this first on my page on www.oneway.com. Curious to see if this little social media page can get its wheels chugging.</span></h3>
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Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-71404396121128672212017-05-22T13:38:00.001-06:002017-05-22T14:16:43.781-06:00Further Inisight on Book of Mormon Geography: Common Sense<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Tennis Shoes Readers and Fans!</h4>
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I have great discussions on Facebook, and I wonder if the info ever gets "seen" by anyone, except perhaps <span style="background-color: white;">the person who brings up the topic. Recently I had someone discuss their perspective on Mesoamerica and Book of Mormon connections, which is addressed at some length in my latest podcast,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> "</span><a href="https://foreverlds.com/podcast/2017/5/battle-of-the-book-of-mormon-geographies"><span style="color: #0782c1;">Battle of the Book of Mormon Geographies</span>.</a>" In one post I emphasized the legitimacy of pursuing Book of Mormon connections in the Great Lakes and other areas of the United States, but I also offered up a tidbit of information that is too-often ignored by those determined to tout an Eastern United States connection to Book of Mormon events. Certainly there's still a lot of digging to do, but just about any Mesoamerican scholar would happily confirm the following paragraph:</div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif , "arial" , "verdana" , "trebuchet ms";"><span style="font-size: 13px;">"There's really no comparison between Mesoamerica and the Midwest or Great Lakes regions of the United States as far as the sheer volume of archaeological sites. In southern Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, etc., artifacts and structures are unearthed practically every time someone digs the foundation of a house. Pottery shards are found in the backyards of almost everyone. SO MUCH has unfortunately been plowed under or destroyed. This destruction dates from the Spanish conquest to the present day. The stuff is literally EVERYWHERE. I personally found what appeared to be an ancient pot--fully intact--at a little-known site excavated by NWAF (BYU's New World Archaeological Foundation) back in the early 2000s (and got in trouble for even </span></span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13px;">attempting</i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif , "arial" , "verdana" , "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 13px;"> to do so. So it was simply left in the dirt). The point is, you can't throw a rock without hitting evidences of the ancient Maya, Aztecs, Toltecs, Zapotecs, etc. </span><br />
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In the continental U.S., yes, we have some nice "mound-builder" sites--Hopewell and Adema. (By the way, such designations are just place-holder names, like "Olmec". There <i>was</i> no actual tribe called the Hopewells or the Olmecs. These are simply modern nomenclature commonly used to identify certain varieties of sites or artifacts in the New World and elsewhere. We really don't know what they called themselves.) Still, there's no comparison inside the borders of the U.S. with the number of artifacts and structures and WORK that is waiting to be done in Mesoamerica. I've posted a few photos of Hopewell sites in the Eastern U.S.<br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif , "arial" , "verdana" , "trebuchet ms";"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="/perch/resources/hopewell-site-w640.jpg" src="https://foreverlds.com/perch/resources/hopewell-site-w640.jpg" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 3px; cursor: default; float: left; height: 166px; margin: 3px; width: 250px;" />Very little in the mound-builder cultures dates to the right time period of Book of Mormon events. About 95% of the sites unearthed <i>post</i>date 400 A.D. Now, that doesn't mean there isn't a connection. D&C Section 32 verifies that <i>some</i> kind of link exists. </span></span></span><br />
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But until we find something earth-shattering (literally!) let's stick with the general facts. For the most part in the Eastern U.S. we find mounds and stone fences, simple stone buildings, a few petroglyphs (however, for wall paintings and more complex architecture inside the U.S. we typically must venture west of the Mississippi, to the Anasazi sites of New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona). </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The main ingredient missing in Ohio or Georgia or Great Lakes archaeology is a written language--glyphs, </span>pictographs<span style="font-family: inherit;">, calendars and other examples. Sure, there are a few anomalies in the States that demand investigation, but these are rare and so unique that when they ARE found, it makes big headlines because...well...we're AMERICANS and we pride ourselves in our pre-Columbian </span>archaeological<span style="font-family: inherit;"> heritage, as scant as it is, and give such finds as much publicity as possible. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif , "arial" , "verdana" , "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 13px;"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif , "arial" , "verdana" , "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 13px;">At the top of this post is a photo of the</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif , "arial" , "verdana" , "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif , "arial" , "verdana" , "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 13px;">"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_Creek_inscription">Bat Creek" Stone from Tennessee</a>, which was at first proclaimed to be evidence of Hebrew writing in ancient America. Such claims date to the 1800s. The hoax has since been exposed and is considered fraudulent by most archaeologists. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif , "arial" , "verdana" , "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 13px;">However, genuine evidences of ancient writing literally "floweth over" in Mesoamerica, which is precisely what we oughta expect from the literate cultures associated with Book of Mormon peoples. Right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've also posted a link here to a lecture I gave at a BMAF convention a couple years ago that further illustrates some of the points made here and on my <a href="https://foreverlds.com/">podcast</a><span id="goog_171058955"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_171058956"></span>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just two more cents to add to the discussion. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Stay close to the Lord, Chris Heimerdinger</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">NOTE: Eventually, inevitably, I hope subscribers here will switch over to <a href="http://www.foreverlds.com/">www.foreverlds.com</a>. That's really the "happenin'" place for all things "Tennis Shoes" and "Heimerdinger". As well as our new <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxR0NLbLe2qyqA_eRg5w3LA">YouTube channel</a><span id="goog_171058969"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_171058970"></span>.</span>Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-57667167763675516212017-05-10T13:36:00.000-06:002017-05-10T13:37:02.130-06:00New Podcast! "BATTLE OF THE BOOK OF MORMON GEOGRAPHIES"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Tennis Shoes Fans!</h3>
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<span style="color: #333333;">My latest podcast, "Battle of the Book of Mormon Geographies" just posted on </span><a href="https://foreverlds.com/podcast/2017/5/battle-of-the-book-of-mormon-geographies"><span style="color: blue;">ForeverLDS</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">. One of my best (and perhaps most <b><i>controversial</i></b>) podcasts. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">I also include an excerpt from "Thorns of Glory"--exactly what I happened to write that same day!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">This was recorded at the rather "spacious" studios of Redge Flake and Adam Matthews who also filmed it with a hi-def camera for future visualization. HOWEVER, it definitely sounds like I'm in a room with "unmuffled" sound, creating an echo. I tried to reduce this, but please let me know if I ought to re-record for the official podcast. It MIGHT just sound different from the <i>other </i>podcasts, and therefore only be jarring for a minute or two. PLEASE LET ME KNOW!</span></div>
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Also, FEEDBACK on the first 10 minutes of the PREVIOUS 10 minute visualization of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU_N-70Esy0">"The Legacy of Mormon and Moroni"</a> on our YouTube Channel, would be MOST appreciated. Your feedback means the world to me. </div>
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Stay close to the Lord,<br />Chris Heimerdinger</h4>
Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-34808431111740731462017-05-06T12:12:00.003-06:002017-05-10T13:38:08.532-06:00<h2 style="font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, "Trebuchet MS"; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2;">
<span style="color: #990000;">Hello ForeverLDS Readers and Listeners!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Considering our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxR0NLbLe2qyqA_eRg5w3LA">YouTube Channel</a>, I should add <em>viewers</em>. What's currently on the channel is the first 10 mintues of <strong>Podcast 23: The Legacy of Mormon and Moroni: Fresh Perspectives on the Last Decades of the Book of Mormon</strong>. </div>
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This is a 45 minute podcast, so no, it's not finished. But I felt what was edited is looking kinda nice, so I wanted to show it off. We received feedback from several people saying, "<i>Hey, Chris, it would be so much better if we could see your face you narrate!</i>" So, very reluctantly, I broke out my high-tech smart phone and filmed me prattling on the massive soundstages of my office/shed in Providence, Utah. Not a pretty background. Not a pretty mug. But it's great fun and I hope an insightful look at two great prophets at the sunset of Nephite history. </div>
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I have already filmed the NEXT podcast, entitled, <strong>Battle of the Book of Mormon Geographies: <i>"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"</i>--Dickens. Restoring reason to an unreasonable situation. </strong>Yeah, that's the whole title and subtile. Not sure it'll fit in the editor, so I'll likely have to condense. This episode was filmed using the skills of Redge Flake and Andy Matthews at their facilities in Draper, Utah with two hi-def cameras. Not sure what their timetable is. I might record another version here in my office so I can get it up on <a href="http://www.foreverlds.com/">www.ForeverLDS.com</a> quickly.</div>
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ForeverLDS itself is undergoing a transformation, striving to move the site to a WordPress format so I can make it dynamic and a store page. I hope this is soon available as well. Subscribers here on Frost Cave really should move their subscription over to ForeverLDS. I made that plea over a year ago, and...Oh, well. Only a small percentage have switched. Takes a while so I'll continue to post news and updates in both places. </div>
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OH, and for an update on Tennis Shoes 13: <i>Thorns of Glory</i>, just listen to a bit of the next podcast when I post it over the next few days. You're in for a fun sneak peek (er, sneak <i>listen</i>)!</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Stay close to the Lord,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Chris Heimerdinger</span></div>
Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-83084460168872518912017-04-17T16:34:00.003-06:002017-05-10T13:39:38.008-06:00New Forever LDS Podcast: Legacy of Mormon and Moroni<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I am proud to present the 23rd episode of our Latter-day Podcast, </span><a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ForeverLDS.com%2F&h=ATPrE3XUvj86R6p6hVshUSRtnTDNGtIVde7M4A_-Du00k_w2g00zqnAq2LfyOmHMoD1mPOCC4MRQkQ4eALSxVNLBc_O-z6Wvm6yQIW-iP7lo90_UtgwZ2yIo1o2Cn4Pq1UWdKZdduhhh6tcyHHpd&enc=AZPglISDyHbm1D6Cifv1o4vLjZUpL3_waA_ug5vnvGSFuonG_41TRmUihzjky7BJX2lHg8VJjcLMAT-nbkU0y1-zXWWVJ3wm_2odJl235HtUp_014jW2nTYkcUHdMg5LZ8MBiCO2ee1TkpG0DWwq9c0UjholTPqIo9rO7hjgbcnfbUIb8ZwlBZv_rHHGBRk4mnHruC-CtJUCQ3KMYUbU4tki&s=1" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.ForeverLDS.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>THE LEGACY OF MORMON AND MORONI: Fresh perspectives on the last decades of The Book of Mormon</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Much stuff has been posted on our Mormon Podcast over the last couple weeks, including a new session of the Professional <a href="https://foreverlds.com/course/storytellers-workshop">LDS Storytellers Workshop</a> entitled, "The Business of Storytelling, Lecture 1." Impossible to predict how many "lectures" will be necessary to cover this topic. So much to say, and the marketplace is constantly changing. More are recorded and in the editing stage.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Also, I keep adding clips to our brand new <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxR0NLbLe2qyqA_eRg5w3LA">YouTube Channel</a>. NEW SUBSCRIBERS WELCOME! The one titled <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MrgXNeweHI">Premiere of Passage to Zarahemla: Fans Gushing Shamelessly</a></i> is all in good fun. Hope no one is offended . . . <i>too</i> much. In fact, this footage never got used in any promotional material--nor has it ever been seen. If anyone actually KNOWS the individuals in this clip (or if you happen to BE one of the people) lemme know so I can give appropriate credit.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">As far as the general, <i>free</i> part of ForeverLDS, I plan to be more consistent adding a new podcast every two weeks. Just have to also keep up the pace on <i>Tennis Shoes 13: Thorns of Glory</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Gratefully, life is better and the engine is chugging a bit faster.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The entire www.ForeverLDS.com site is also headed for a major overhaul. Look for this in the next couple weeks!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Sincerely,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Chris Heimerdinger </span>Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-53243249652375744912017-04-10T03:36:00.001-06:002017-04-10T03:49:51.604-06:00Announcing...Session 6: The Business of Storytelling NOW POSTED!<h2>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;">Greetings Tennis Shoes Fans!</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://foreverlds.com/course/storytellers-workshop">The Professional LDS Storytellers Workshop</a></span><span id="goog_141410862" style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"></span><span id="goog_141410863" style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is the first such </span></span><br />
<span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TJk1h6nkUa7L7fXaTE-20ZPQdupyK5Qx4Mwi4UG5VKhKa5BYD-l55V7p9vJ1XZPN1WyCnh_VpLMlaz6awV_kYZwEye49go7XaxQzqer1O141cskLSE_ZrOaafa57aERiisEHZZlLDOc/s200/Chris+and+Books.jpg" width="200" /></span></span><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Workshop of its kind for </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">aspiring LDS writers and storytellers, and our 6th Session may be our most ambitious and valuable session yet. Let's face it. The storytelling, novel-writing, book-publishing business is a vast, complex, and forever changing morass these days. I knew going in that I could never cover everything that needed to be covered in one session. That's why I've already recorded two </span><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">additional</em><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">sessions on this topic! They're just not posted yet. Go to: </span></span><br />
<a href="https://foreverlds.com/course/storytellers-workshop">https://foreverlds.com/course/storytellers-workshop</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Doesn't matter if you want to supplement your income to write full-time or part-time. These are many of the secrets you must know. </span><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Session 6</span><span style="font-size: 14px;"> hits the ground running with the most essential information, as well as rarely-discussed gems:</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: "open_sansregular" , sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">*To Publish or NOT to Self-Publish</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Soliciting Professional Feedback</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Details of Chris's Career and His First Published Novels</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Protecting Yourself From Pirating</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Priestcraft Vs. Profit</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*eBook Vs. Print Copies</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Finding a Distributor for Self-Published Books</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Challenges in Today's LDS Publishing Market</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Maintaining Your eBook Rights</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Selling Your eBook on Amazon</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Why Use Standard Manuscript Formatting? </span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*To Copyright or NOT to Copyright?</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Formal Guidelines of Style</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*First Priority: <span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Move Your Audience!</span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Realities of Self-Publishing</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="color: red;">--Royalty Splits</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;"> --WalMart and Costco</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;"> --Typesetting</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;"> --Cover Design</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;"> --Backliners and Endorsements</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;"> --Hiring Freelancers: A Few Guidelines</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;"> --Printing Your Book</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;"> --Kill Fees</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*The Evolving Environment of the Writing Profession</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="color: red;"> --Self Promotion</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;"> --Social Media Marketing/ Establishing a Book-Selling Platform</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Avoid Being a Flash-in-the-Pan Author</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Crossing Book Genres</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">*Public Domain</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Look for the entire <a href="https://foreverlds.com/">www.ForeverLDS.website </a>to receive a dramatic upgrade in upcoming weeks. Oughta be cool!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Stay close to the Lord,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Chris Heimerdinger</span></div>
Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-55706070233806105572017-03-31T13:54:00.004-06:002017-03-31T13:55:41.310-06:00Introducing...My New YouTube Channel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCNBw03WnCbJvzqZQbU2ZFaNsD1ssAuvcd32s1Ht_hMO1PCy0rLd23uiiqTVuk2vWreh-UwSgP6BQ3Uz3sxzic5p0iFmPsS9ABOq_xIOEOOrIJ7zBt6IaBxYrSn47mOqosZo1g8M25Bg/s1600/podcast-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCNBw03WnCbJvzqZQbU2ZFaNsD1ssAuvcd32s1Ht_hMO1PCy0rLd23uiiqTVuk2vWreh-UwSgP6BQ3Uz3sxzic5p0iFmPsS9ABOq_xIOEOOrIJ7zBt6IaBxYrSn47mOqosZo1g8M25Bg/s200/podcast-logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Hello Tennis Shoes Fans! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I'm building a youtube channel for some of the podcasts from </span><a href="http://www.foreverlds.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.foreverlds.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, and potentially other things. Only 4 minutes of visuals are up so far, but I posted it anyway. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Obviously what I've posted is still rough. Some images are a bit too small (too few pixels) and sometimes the "tracking" of various pans and zooms isn't perfectly centered...but other than THAT, I'd love to hear feedback. Even on the material itself. </span><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxR0NLbLe2qyqA_eRg5w3LA" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxR0NLbLe2qyqA_eRg5w3LA</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijO46AfIo6rKeHAf1feG9OfVOr3CvRG2AUoyp99Rfrqmd4EH7CQSnfw7kf-nMayU_1H6kFIRd955ikGSVqtz-psBsjWflId8hWZuS_XAqKUe3uyE52ZS7spomaYOcjabRDtT229BrkL-c/s1600/Long+Shot+Marvelous+Prophecies+Moroni+Cave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijO46AfIo6rKeHAf1feG9OfVOr3CvRG2AUoyp99Rfrqmd4EH7CQSnfw7kf-nMayU_1H6kFIRd955ikGSVqtz-psBsjWflId8hWZuS_XAqKUe3uyE52ZS7spomaYOcjabRDtT229BrkL-c/s320/Long+Shot+Marvelous+Prophecies+Moroni+Cave.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">And YES, I'm still working on the next novel.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Stay close to the Lord,</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Chris Heimerdinger</span></span><br />
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Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-23969485901014782122017-03-02T15:39:00.000-07:002017-03-02T15:43:36.231-07:005th Annual LDS Youth & Family Education Conference<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<img height="116" src="https://foreverlds.com/perch/resources/omaha-conference-image-w640.png" style="background-color: transparent;" width="400" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5dFmnUSsg7_gmsyJszDoCmXPlNSH421-TtDukvwN6r3s16QKjOUTXHaVutZEAe9h9asfKHTz0eRJ79kgVR-SY5ASG2vevXXZEkY91C3quVlzO8J5WZxeR0f4RA5JNjAfLXB3xm4Qpyg/s1600/Chris+with+Books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5dFmnUSsg7_gmsyJszDoCmXPlNSH421-TtDukvwN6r3s16QKjOUTXHaVutZEAe9h9asfKHTz0eRJ79kgVR-SY5ASG2vevXXZEkY91C3quVlzO8J5WZxeR0f4RA5JNjAfLXB3xm4Qpyg/s1600/Chris+with+Books.jpg" /></a></div>
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I would like to invite all Latter-day Saints in the midwest to attend the LDS Youth and Family Education Conference, March 9th, 10th & 11th, 2017 at Coco Keys Water Resort & Hotel, Omaha, Nebraska. Not only will I be there, speaking about five different times to all ages, including teaching writing classes to children 8-12 years old, but also in attendance will be.... </div>
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<img alt="" src="https://foreverlds.com/perch/resources/studioc2orig-w640.png" style="border: 3px solid; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 186px; line-height: inherit; margin: 3px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: bottom; width: 291px; zoom: 1;" /><img alt="" src="https://foreverlds.com/perch/resources/jeneve1-w640.png" style="border: 3px solid; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: right; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 149px; line-height: inherit; margin: 3px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: bottom; width: 200px; zoom: 1;" />Matt Meese and Natalie Madsen of Studio C. Jeneve Mitchell, 2016 American Idol Finalist, Dr. Rosemary Stein, Marlene Peterson, and Richard and Emily Clawson. This a three-day event, starting Thursday night with a Family Dance, and then Friday and Saturday with a Youth Conference, Adult Classes, a Family Marketplace, and evening Variety Shows and Concerts. Hey, there will also be movies!--including showings of <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Passage to Zarahemla</em> wherein I'll be on hand to introduce and answer questions afterwards.If you're staying in or near the hotel venue, bring your suits because there's also an indoor water park! An incredible amount of effort has been put into place for Latter-day Saints of all ages to have fun, be edified and inspired, and celebrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For a more detailed description and schedule, and to purchase tickets, go to <a href="http://www.ldshhe.org/2017-conference.html" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #d95345; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.ldshhe.org/2017-conference.html</a>. Bring your books and audiobooks! I'd love to sign every one of them. We look forward to seeing you there! --Chris Heimerdinger</div>
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<img alt="" src="https://foreverlds.com/perch/resources/richardemilyclawsonorig-1-w640.jpg" style="border: 3px solid; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: right; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 200px; line-height: inherit; margin: 3px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: bottom; width: 200px; zoom: 1;" /><img alt="" src="https://foreverlds.com/perch/resources/marlenebook21-w640.png" style="border: 3px solid; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 207px; line-height: inherit; margin: 3px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: bottom; width: 250px; zoom: 1;" /><img alt="" src="https://foreverlds.com/perch/resources/rosemary-pic-and-book-jpgorig-w640.png" style="border: 3px solid; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: right; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 144px; line-height: inherit; margin: 3px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: bottom; width: 230px; zoom: 1;" /></div>
Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-69277299454336179742017-02-13T15:16:00.002-07:002017-02-13T15:16:26.884-07:00A Few More Paragraphs from "Thorns of Glory"<div class="container" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 1240px; padding: 0px 35px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">AN ACTION SCENE FROM TENNIS SHOES ADVENTURE SERIES, VOLUME 13: "THORNS OF GLORY"</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lest some have forgotten, the new volume of The Tennis Shoes Adventure Series is very much underway. Estimates of completion or release? I dunno. But I gotta get 'er done soon to feed my family. I'm not saying the picture below is an accurate representation of uniforms, weapons, horses, or other images from Cumorah. Or even that it accurately represents what I describe in "Thorns of Glory." But hey, having a cool picture is better than having NO cool picture.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The following scene is written from the point of view of Marcos:</span></span></div>
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<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: left; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<tt style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Young Commander Moronihah's voice rang like an alarm. "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!"</tt></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5OLhf3d5NsqQMwLDdBTgT4iRg8_ilPinSD8DMEFtmemwGMpzkbGNZ2kEfaaDUZxGuuFzStAC6VmIaP7f7CNKLEvWMbr_dflXW574fRZIDjPqyc7GDYUEcKk0cf25Uk7Mw9z_JB9WffE/s1600/Cumorah+Battle+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5OLhf3d5NsqQMwLDdBTgT4iRg8_ilPinSD8DMEFtmemwGMpzkbGNZ2kEfaaDUZxGuuFzStAC6VmIaP7f7CNKLEvWMbr_dflXW574fRZIDjPqyc7GDYUEcKk0cf25Uk7Mw9z_JB9WffE/s320/Cumorah+Battle+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<tt style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Officers echoed this command all along the fortification line. The air whipped around me—the snap of bowstrings, the whirl of slings, the launch of atlatl darts. Torches carried by the advancing soldiers—flames that had been bouncing toward the wall—began to drop, roll, and extinguish in the dirt. Many were retrieved by fresh warriors and seemed to miraculously reanimate. Enemy soldiers were dying, but the relentless onrush of torches created the illusion that Moronihah's defense was having no effect at all. Even as the Tarantula Division reloaded and fired I perceived the first shades of dread darken their eyes. Two young warriors could not contain themselves: "They're not stopping!" "Nothing stops them!"</span></tt></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<tt style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Endless torches poured over the lip of the ridge, an infinite flood of fire surging toward the Nephite fortifications. I'd told Moronihah that the enemy likely outnumbered him three- or four-to-one. I'd known I was deliberately underestimating their strength. Was I trying to bolster his hopes? I couldn't define my motive. Anyway, the reality of my distortion was quickly being exposed.</span></tt></div>
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<tt style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A volley of return fire whistled overhead, thudding against the wall, many arrow and atlatl tips set alight. A strange crack and pop also impacted the fortifications, causing an explosion of fire unlike any burning arrow or spearhead. The residue splashed onto unprotected faces and bear skin of the Nephite soldiers, inducing screams of panic. One of these munitions missed, lobbing over the top of the wall, rolling harmlessly to a stop ten paces behind me. It was a rounded clay ball, surely flung by a slinger, a tiny flame spitting from a hole in the top. I braced myself, aghast to think the Teotihuacanos had invented a kind of 20th century shrapnel-filled grenade. After several beats the flame fizzled; the ball lay dormant. It hadn't been designed to explode spontaneously. These hollow globes—tennis-ball sized—combusted on impact, like a water balloon, its contents spreading orange and yellow swaths like Molotov cocktails. I marveled. Did the Nephite army employ such a weapon?</span></tt></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<tt style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">An arrow threaded the embrasure a few feet to my left, piercing the stomach of the Nephite archer stationed there. He howled and fell. I grabbed up his bow and snatched an arrow from his nearby stockpile. I nocked and fired, nocked and fired.</span></tt></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<tt style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Tarantula Captain's young voice was firm and steady. "Keep firing! Keep firing!"</span></tt></div>
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<tt style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Atop the wall, I heard one of Moronihah's officers: "Kill every cockroach of Lord Fireborn!"</span></tt></div>
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<tt style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cockroaches versus tarantulas—</em>the irony flitted across my mind. Within minutes these roaches would overwhelm the arachnids. Many of Teotihuacano's flaming arrows struck stone or plaster or skidded into the mud, but the clay grenades were brutally effective. Wood easily caught flame wherever it had been left exposed, especially along the highest ramparts. I watched a Nephite soldier whose uniform was splattered by flammable liquid frantically twirl and spin, but such movements transformed him into a human torch. He flung himself into the air, still alight as he hit the ground, squirming in agony. Comrades threw blankets on him, but gruff-voiced officers shouted to "Leave the dead to die!" Their efforts were turned to smothering the growing fires along the burning ramparts. </span></tt></div>
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Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-22973623277961203072017-02-07T05:20:00.000-07:002017-02-07T05:20:20.644-07:00Addendum to "Changing Paradigms and the Book of Mormon"<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I'd tried hard to convince folks to abandon this LDS blog site and move over to www.foreverLDS.com, but my efforts have seemed in vain. Oh well. I suppose I should continue to post in both places. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">For those who listened to my latest LDS podcast on "Changing Paradigms and the Book of Mormon" on www.foreverLDS.com, I realize we discussed a lot of stuff. We focused on several paradigm shifts since the volume was published. But I actually forgot to mention my favorite piece of evidence for the old paradigm that when the Nephites and Lamanites first arrived, the land was empty of people. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I highlighted several places in The Book of Mormon where it strongly hints that Lehi's ship dropped anchor in an </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">area already populated. But for my favorite bit of evidence from the scriptures that reveals others living in the vicinity of where Nephi and Laman established their kingdoms, read <a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/jacob/7?lang=eng">Jacob Chapter 7</a>. This is where Jacob confronts an "anti-Christ" named Sherem. The first couple verses speak of a man named Sherem arriving among the Nephites and teaching that there was no Christ. Now, keep in mind, Jacob is a "first generation Nephite"--straight off the boat, so to speak. Yet its apparent he has no idea who Sherem is! If Sherem was a Lamanite, for example, it seems common sense that Jacob would say, "And he was the grandson of my brother, Laman." Or if he was a member of local community, that Jacob would say, "And he was the son of Zoram." Sherem is a complete stranger. This is a fun bit of evidence in support of the fact that when Lehi landed, there were indeed others living in the New World with no relationship whatsoever to Lehi's family. And likely no relationship to Jaredites or Mulekites. Sherem was just a denizen of the area. When I first pinpointed this evidence, I thought I was the first one to notice it. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGCnLRdwdthsrK_Y6X9yeBcghGlQVoyNpaccrdPu23diBggmMeUOXzb2NfF0s1n66v9fF8Qv9SBDLB98XgO2eBjeWvFlsahbtGQSelAorIFHFNikJDysR_czUMhZv494hL2oJfderdWg/s1600/John+L+Sorenson+1984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGCnLRdwdthsrK_Y6X9yeBcghGlQVoyNpaccrdPu23diBggmMeUOXzb2NfF0s1n66v9fF8Qv9SBDLB98XgO2eBjeWvFlsahbtGQSelAorIFHFNikJDysR_czUMhZv494hL2oJfderdWg/s320/John+L+Sorenson+1984.JPG" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Sorenson, PhD beside Olmec Head in 1984</td></tr>
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I've since learned that scholars have been pointing out this particular piece of evidence for many decades ago, all the way back to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Sorenson">John Sorenson</a> and his seminal work <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-American-Setting-Book-Mormon/dp/087747608X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486469905&sr=1-1&keywords=ancient+american+Setting">Ancient America and the Book of Mormon</a></i>, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Search-Cumorah-David-Palmer/dp/0882907832">David Palmer</a>, whose book focusing on the Hill Cumorah was initally inspired by Sorenson's unpublished manuscript. Maybe this concept was discussed by LDS scholars even earlier! The next Book of Mormon podcast on <a href="http://www.foreverlds.com/">ForeverLDS</a> will discuss a possible paradigm shift that I think IS unique to me. Maybe not. If others thought of it first, I wouldn't care. The more the merrier. I'll post soon this LDS podcast soon, so listeners can ponder the matter for themselves. </span>Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-33310195695190894602016-09-14T17:22:00.001-06:002016-09-14T17:22:22.026-06:00Dinner/Workshop in Preston Expanded/Post-DatedThe "Dinner with Chris Heimerdinger" in Preston, ID has been moved to Sept. 22 and the <b>Professional Writing Workshop</b> has been expanded to <i>two</i> classes--Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM and Friday mornings at 11:00 AM. To accommodate this new schedule the event has been pushed back one week. Apparently there are adults who would like to attend and can't come in the morning. Soooo, this, I hope, is our final schedule:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">"A NIGHT WITH CHRIS HEIMERDINGER"</span> </span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>PLACE:</b> <span style="color: #cc0000;">Kimber Academy in Preston, ID, 17 E. Oneida Avenue</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TIME:</b> <span style="color: #cc0000;">Thurs., Sept. 22 at 6:00 PM.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>COST:</b> <span style="color: #cc0000;">$7.50 per person. $20.00 per family</span> <span style="color: #cc0000;">(up to 6). $5.00 per person above 6.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>FREE PERKS:</b> <span style="color: #cc0000;">Dinner (duh!) and a free signed copy of the DVD <i>Passage to Zarahemla</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>Chris will also autograph and sell copies of some of his other published works. BRING UNSIGNED BOOKS YOU ALREADY OWN TOO!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>"PROFESSIONAL WRITING WORKSHOP WITH CHRIS HEIMERDINGER" </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>PLACE:<span style="color: blue;"> </span></b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Kimber Academy in Preston, ID, 17 E. Oneida Avenue</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>FIRST CLASS: </b><span style="color: blue;">Thursday, Sept. 29 at 7:00 PM <i>and</i> F<span style="color: blue;">riday, Sept. 30 </span></span></span><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">at </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">11:00 AM</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NUMBER OF CLASSES: </b><span style="color: blue;">8</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>SCHEDULE: </b><span style="color: blue;">No class last week in October (Hunting Day)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>COST: </b><span style="color: blue;">$75.00</span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
CLASS IS FOR AGES 14 AND UP! YOUTH OR ADULTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND EITHER CLASS. Yeah, I know. Only three of you even live close enough to consider coming, but I felt it was still worth posting, even if only for those three people.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For more information call me at <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>801-870-2070</b></span> or Noel Barney of the Preston, ID Kimber Academy at <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>801-678-9683</b></span>.</span><br />
<br />Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-30101054296310372052016-09-06T22:37:00.002-06:002016-09-13T11:29:50.375-06:00Writing Workshop in Preston, ID...among other UPDATESWHAT??? You mean there are still some readers who visit FrostCave rather than <a href="http://www.foreverlds.com/">www.foreverlds.com</a>?? Shucks, I posted last winter that fans needed to make this transition. I haven't posted on FrostCave since 2015, hoping folks would start heading to ForeverLDS.com, which is a blog PLUS a podcast PLUS lots of other things. Then fans and friends on Facebook started asking why I'd stopped posting to FrostCave and I realized my message hadn't reached everyone. SOOOO I guess I'll have to occasionally post here too, providing updates, and reminding folks to sign up on ForeverLDS.<br />
<br />
FOR STARTERS--I'm doing an "in person" Professional Writing Workshop in Preston, Idaho (which is only a hop and skip from where I live, in Providence, UT).<br />
<br />
It kicks off with a <span style="color: #cc0000;">DINNER and FIRESIDE humbly called "A Night With Chris Heimerdinger."</span> (Tried to convince them to call it "A Night With Mater and Yoda" since my 5-yr-old son has forced me to learn some pretty good impersonations, but they didn't think it would sell as many tickets. I wasn't so sure.)<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">"A NIGHT WITH CHRIS HEIMERDINGER"</span> </b><br />
<b>PLACE:</b> <span style="color: #cc0000;">Kimber Academy in Preston, ID, 17 E. Oneida Avenue</span><br />
<b>TIME:</b> <span style="color: #cc0000;">Thurs., Sept. 15 at 6:00 PM.</span><br />
<b>COST:</b> <span style="color: #cc0000;">$7.50 per person. $20.00 per family</span> (up to 6). $5.00 per person above 6.<br />
<b>FREE PERKS:</b> <span style="color: #cc0000;">Dinner (Duh!) and a free signed copy of the DVD <i>Passage to Zarahemla</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Chris will also autograph and sell copies of some of his other published works. BRING UNSIGNED BOOKS YOU ALREADY OWN TOO!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><br /></b></span>
Of course, at the dinner we'll also talk about the Writing Workshop. Space is limit to 30-35 students. Call me at 801-870-2070 or sign-ups will start that night. You can also call Noel Barney of the Preston Kimber Academy at 801-678-9683.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="color: blue;"><b>"PROFESSIONAL WRITING WORKSHOP WITH CHRIS HEIMERDINGER" </b></span><br />
<b>PLACE:<span style="color: blue;"> </span></b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Kimber Academy in Preston, ID, 17 E. Oneida Avenue</span></span><br />
<b>FIRST CLASS: </b><span style="color: blue;">Friday, September 23</span><br />
<b>TIME: </b><span style="color: blue;">11:00 AM - 12:00 PM</span><br />
<b>NUMBER OF CLASSES: </b><span style="color: blue;">8</span><br />
<b>SCHEDULE: </b><span style="color: blue;">No class last week in October (Hunting Day)</span><br />
<b>COST: </b><span style="color: blue;">$75.00</span><br />
<b>SPECIAL NOTE:</b><span style="color: blue;"> Classes cover a range of topics from </span><span style="color: blue;">Nurturing Ideas, </span><span style="color: blue;">Character Design, Plot, Editing, Publishing, Self-Publishing, Marketing, and more. Toward the end students will be asked to submit samples of their own writing for a </span><span style="color: blue;">professional critique. Don't be freaked out by this. The goal is to build your confidence and help talented wordsmiths know exactly what to expect if they truly wish to pursue a full-time writing career or a rewarding storytelling hobby.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
If you live in Florida, the weekly commute might be a bit overwhelming, but anywhere in northern Utah or south-eastern Idaho might be worth it. You can enroll by calling me directly at 801-870-2070 or come to the dinner and fireside on Sept. 15. <b><span style="color: blue;">RECOMMENDED AGE FOR STUDENTS IS BETWEEN 14 AND 104.</span> </b>(We'll consider a student under 14, but they better be a very active reader and highly precocious. If you're under 14 and don't know the meaning of "precocious", that's a pretty good indicator that you might be too young. Okay, we'll even consider students over 104, but it's our experience that most fail to complete long term projects. Was that "ageist?" Sometimes I just don't know how far gone things are with PC.<br />
<br />
NOW, before anyone starts asking the obvious, such as "WHEN IS <i>THORNS OF GLORY</i> COMING OUT?!?!" let me just give you the scoop: I'm over half way. Things are going good. I hope to finish soon. But now for a dose of reality...The LDS market does NOT pay what it did ten years ago. Is that a news flash for anyone? Then let me repeat it. The LDS market does NOT pay what it did even FIVE years ago. That's why many of my LDS-genre author friends are no longer LDS-genre authors, but have moved into other national market genres, some with considerable success. I've resisted this--resisted, resisted, resisted--for soooo long. And honestly, if the Tennis Shoes series was complete, I'd have probably given in. I'd <i>hate</i> myself for it, but let's face it: Feeding my family has to come first. Hey, ask Gerald Lund if his latest novel series is selling anywhere CLOSE to his "Work and the Glory" series. Half as well? Keep coming down. One fourth? Still down. One TENTH as well? Uh-uh. Dowwwwn. Yer kidding, right? Oh, I wish I were.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the fact is that my Tennis Shoes series is <i>not</i> complete, and so I've stubbornly REFUSED to write any other major novel projects that might be more lucrative until I finish it. Why? Well...for the simple reason that if I got hit by a bus, it would be as if I wrote 12 books for nuthin', leaving the dat-gum story incomplete and soon entirely forgotten. So I forge ahead, undaunted. Okay, not ENTIRELY undaunted. Admittedly, I've been forced to take on a few freelance projects to make ends meet from time to time, and YES, that does slow down the completion of the series (in case you haven't noticed). I don't think I've ever confessed that to my fans before, but I felt it was about time. Just bear with me. I fully expect <i>Thorns of Glory</i> to be the best in the series. You know how sometimes a series gets <u>worse</u> as it goes along? I won't mention any names, like <i>Divergent </i>or anything. (Wait...I said I wasn't gonna mention any...<i>Doggoneit!</i>) Anyway, I'd be crushed if anyone said that about The Tennis Shoes Adventure Series. The last book(s) (still not sure if it'll be one book or two) will be the <i><b>best</b></i> in the series or I'll die trying.)<br />
<br />
That's a promise. As to when it'll be released? No promises whatsoever.<br />
<br />
But I am hoping to finish the manuscript around the end of the year or shortly thereafter.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Chris HeimerdingerChris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-68965542009192504002015-12-16T23:56:00.002-07:002015-12-17T17:22:13.589-07:00Announcing My New Podcast: ForeverLDS.comOkay, for many this is not "news". It's been a topic on Facebook for a couple weeks. But I meant to release it slowly and get feedback, but listeners let the cat out of the bag quickly, so I feel kinda bad that the <i>last </i>folks to whom I'm revealing this information are my followers on Frost Cave. Honestly, it's a confusing question what my "crossover" audience is. In other words, which fans subscribed on Frost Cave, but also on various Facebook "Chris Heimerdinger" club pages. So I felt it was time to bring some of my most faithful fans in on this so-called "secret".<br />
<br />
I've always wanted to do a radio show of some type. Podcasting offers a unique opportunity to exercise my gift of gab and also express those views closest to my heart, especially regarding the most sacred views I have on the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Podcast is a combination of my own lectures on original topics I consider particularly fascinating and entertaining, as well as interviews with a wide range of LDS personalities in areas like writing, filmmaking, music, science, scholarship and maybe even politics! In other words, the stuff that excites me the most.<br />
<br />
Our latest Podcast is an in-depth interview with T.C. Christensen, the director and screenwriter of "17 Miracles," "Ephraim's Rescue" and "The Cokeville Miracle" (and a long, surprising list of other LDS-themed films!). I think listeners will enjoy it. Because I've also directed a feature film, I think I could ask questions that only another filmmaker would ask. Check it out at: <a href="https://foreverlds.com/">T.C. Christensen Interview</a><br />
<br />
Other podcasts deal with my thoughts and philosophies about on a wide range of stuff, always standing up--dramatically!--for LDS values and doctrines, while simply <i>celebrating</i> the Gospel with the kinds of subjects and questions I think we talked about more enthusiastically 20 years ago. I fear as a Church we're in a bit of a "state of siege", fearing all the political pressures of not-conformance with the world's standards.<br />
<br />
The youth of today are the ones most savvy to Podcasting, and it's that generation whose passions I hope most to ignite. Finally, this is a chance to express, in my own unique way, the eternal gratitude I feel that God somehow helped me to find this Church, and then, after I did my part (reading the Book of Mormon and deeply wanting God's knowledge), bearing spiritual witness to me of its truthfulness. It's purity. And the perfection of it's message. That doesn't mean we don't all make occasional blunders as human beings. But the Gospel itself is perfect and it's this organization that will inevitably save the world. Certainly every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ, but also that the Lord's priesthood was indeed restored under Joseph Smith and His kingdom will roll forth like the "stone cut from the mountain without hands" until it fills the whole earth.<br />
<br />
Yes, I'm still working daily on <i>Tennis Shoes Volume 13: Thorns of Glory</i>, but the Podcast will steadily become the "hub" of all things Chris Heimerdinger and Tennis Shoes. I'll continue to post here on FrostCave.blogspot.com. But I invite all Frost "Cavers" to also join www.foreverLDS.com. That site is still under construction in some ways. Donations, no matter how small, are sincerely appreciated. You can access ForeverLDS through iTunes and Stitcher and other RSS feeds. Soon ForeverLDS will feature writing classes as well as a webstore for autographed books, and many other features. But the <i>Podcasts </i>are where it's at right now!<br />
<br />
I hope you'll subscribe on iTunes or just visit the site every Tues (or Wed if I fall behind). We plan to provide a brand new episode every week. I truly believe this podcast is filling a niche that no other LDS podcast currently fills. Hear it for yourself!<br />
<br />
God bless you this holiday season and as always,<br />
<br />
Stay close to the Lord,<br />
<br />
Chris Heimerdinger<br />
<br />
<br />Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-1114101200708615502015-11-15T23:02:00.001-07:002015-11-15T23:10:52.121-07:00ForeverLDS Podcast Near Launch<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hi Readers, Fans, and Fellow Saints,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The podcast is coming. It's coming. It's coming. A week? Not much longer. <a href="http://www.foreverlds.com/">www.foreverLDS.com</a>. I'm very excited. Original. Mind-expanding. And I hope the timing is dead on. We'll release it in portions, starting with the general podcast that anyone can listen to. It's possible that we'll also set up the Professional Storytelling Podcast from the get-go. I was thinking about $35 for that class. Too much? Too little? As we add more "lessons" the value naturally goes up, as folks recognize the uniqueness of the approach. Maybe then we'll think about raising it. But I'd like to give a break to early birds, so to speak. Maybe this would be the first year's cost, and then renewal would only be $2 bucks a year or something. Please give me your feedback. Of course, nobody will know the true value until they hear the first "general" podcast or two. My approach is very direct. The world is changing too fast to mince words. The Gospel is the cure. But it's also just exceptionally FUN to be a member of this Church. For those who forgot that, or never heard it put quite that way before, I hope you quickly "get" what I'm talking about. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stay close to the Lord,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chris Heimerdinger</span>Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-48820538152593883902015-10-31T23:29:00.001-06:002015-11-01T10:13:04.116-07:00NEW Tennis Shoes Preview for Halloween!!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Greetings Tennis Shoes fans!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">For Halloween I thought I'd give readers a taste of a small section of a chapter from the latest Tennis Shoes novel, <i>Thorns of Glory</i>. Yup, this is a scene from the battle at Cumorah. Be reminded that this is a rough draft. I'll make many changes myself before the publisher even gets their mits on it. It's also a bit violent. I warned my readers in the last chapter note of <i>Book 11: Sorcerers and Seers</i> that my efforts to describe this event realistically would demand parental guidance. Just know that every time I sit down to write I ask and re-ask myself where to draw the line and when too much is too much. My judgment is not always perfect, but I still think it's important to constantly and prayerfully <i>ask</i>. Feedback is also appreciated!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I wanted to remind fans who wish to purchase any books or audios from me directly that I'll include with every order a free copy of the book or DVD of <i>Passage to Zarahemla</i>, the book <i>A Return to Christmas</i>, or the book <i>Muckwhip's Guide to Capturing the Latter-day Soul--</i>all personally signed to whomever the buyer requests. I'll strive to beat any competitors. Call me at </span><span style="color: blue;"><b>801-870-2070</b></span><span style="color: #351c75;">. If I don't answer, send a text. I'll call back. Visa or MC happily accepted.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Last point: We are looking VERY forward to launching our new podcast, </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">foreverLDS.com</span><span style="color: #351c75;">. This will be both a podcast AND a blogsite. We hope it will quickly become the new "hub" of all things Tennis Shoes and Heimerdinger. Look to late November/early December. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Stay close to the Lord,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Chris Heimerdinger</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">This Tennis Shoes preview is told from the point of view of Brock McConnell (SaKerra McConnell's 14-year-old brother):</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I cried his name again, louder. "<i>Gigiddonihah! Commander Gid! Commander Gid!</i>"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I felt like an idiot. Gid was fighting three men at once. My
shouts could've distracted him; gotten him killed. Instead of yammering like a
banshee, I reached behind my shoulder and grabbed my sword. I armed myself
without lowering the banner an inch; I felt weirdly proud of that. Nephites
were still flocking to me—flocking to the battle standard—scrambling over dead bodies
to take on all comers who threatened me or my wooden sculpture of a Scorpion on a pole. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gid drove the enemy backwards. He was the "point" of
the Nephite spear, so to speak; he personally led the effort to halt the
Lamanite advance. I glanced at my black blade. I was probably the biggest dufus
on this entire hill for arming myself with a weapon I didn't know how to use. I
didn't think about that. As I ponder it now, I fell into a trance of sorts.
It was as if I'd been doused with courage, like sizzling, liquid metal. Or
mettle. I felt a surge of bravery I never knew was inside me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead of screaming at Gid, I followed him. I charged behind
him as he cut down all takers who stood in his way. More Scorpion soldiers
stood side-by-side with him, many locking shields together in a kind of wall,
defending their commander and each other. It wasn't so easy keeping up. Other
Scorpions fought to keep pace with Gid, just like me. They followed the banner;
followed their general. I felt important. Essential. What a thing! Men were using
me as their guide. I was unbreakable. Nothing could hurt me. Nothing could slow
me down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was right behind Gid; I could have clipped him in the helmet
with top of my pole. He still hadn't seen me, and I wasn't about to break his
concentration. He was like this mechanized Ninja. Something beautiful struck me
about his motions. Something terrifying. It was martial arts, dancing, and
death-by-precision. No movement was wasted. Gid chopped an enemy's
sword in half—that is, he broke the blade <i>and
</i>severed the man's right arm in a brutal swipe. His victim howled raggedly,
but he wasn't dead. He just fell back into the sea of faces. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gid maneuvered his axe into a backhanded swing, slicing a gaping
wound in a Lamanite's back, near the base of his spine. Again, the man wasn't
dead. Gid didn't care if an opponent lived or died. He seemed to prefer
incapacitation. Not out of mercy, just 'cause it was quicker. He chose the swiftest
way to make sure that challengers never fought again. The man Gid had slashed in the
back knelt before me. He looked up, on the verge, I think, of collapsing
sideways so fate could handle the rest. Instead, <i>I</i> decided his fate. I stabbed the point of my obsidian sword in his
chest. I don't know why. I just lunged. No forethought. The tip penetrated his
flesh below the collarbone. Most Lamanites wore no armor or padding. Just a
colorful tunic—orange and blue and white. Soon the cloth got red as it absorbed blood from the wound I'd given him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Something snapped in me. Not like a snap of fingers; more like
the pop of a hundred panes of glass, echoing from every room, above, below, and
around. Sound and sight rushed in all at once, like wind and glass and whipping
into me, crashing, echoing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The man fell over. He was dead. His eyes sat open. The pupils lifeless.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd killed him. <i>Me! Brock
McConnell!</i> I'd ended the life of a
breathing, thinking human being—a guy with twenty-five years of memories. Happy
memories, evil memories, <i>all </i>memories.
It's not like I'd done killed him alone. Gid's injury was probably fatal. My stab had served no real purpose. It was unnecessary. And yet . . . I'd done it. I'd ended a man's life. The
thought hammered behind my eyes. I'd done him a favor, right? He'd have surely
bled to death, writhed in the sweltering heat. He might've suffered for hours,
maybe days. I'd ended his misery. So why did the guilt coil inside me? Why did
it feel like a fist in my stomach, squeezing my guts from the inside? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My last meal retched out of me, covering the
dead man's tunic. I turned away and barfed again. I slipped and landed on
another body—a Nephite this time. The body jerked and twitched. I'd landed on his
chest; pushing his last breathe from his lungs. The twitching stopped. It felt
as if I'd killed a <i>second</i> man—a
comrade-in-arms! No. It wasn't me. I had nothing to do with it. But the timing . . . I felt revolted. I lurched away from the dead man's chest and slipped again. Why couldn't I keep my footing? I
glanced around. The ground was covered with gore. <i>Littered</i> with . . . with . . . It was all over my hands. My weapon.
The Scorpion banner was stained too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The air was sick and sour—rotten milk. Rotten <i>something</i>. I blanked out. At least that's
the best way I can describe it. There was no particular reason for me to go
unconscious. I just don't remember the next few minutes. The sky, the fires, the blood, the bodies—every color smeared like a chalk drawing with water streaming
over it. I turned my face into the rising sun, letting the
brightness burn holes into my eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sting must've become too painful. I must've finally pinched
'em shut, but I don't recall. My next real thought was someone dragging at my
hands—at my banner pole. Someone was trying to steal it! Steal my Scorpion
standard! Something about this snapped me to alertness. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a Lamanite. No,
not a Lamanite. A Lightning Warrior. One of those elite soldiers from
Teotihuacan. He was fully armored. Small, shriveled skulls hung on his
shoulders. The heads had either been shrunk or . . . I didn't wanna think about another explanation, like the age of the victims. Tattoos swirled and writhed across every part of his flesh—even his knuckles,
stamped with crabs and snakes and stalks of corn, like pictures from an
astrology chart. The whites of his eyes stood out against his tattooed face. They look like moons. His pupils looked like blots of black ink. He wore no expression, as if he had
no soul. Yet I saw determination. He wanted my banner. He wanted that Scorpion sculpture as much as he'd ever wanted anything in his life. He wanted it as a token of victory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I resisted and didn't release the pole, he drew back his
lips. I couldn't tell if it was in anger or humor, but his teeth flashed brighter
than his eyes. His sword was enormous. The blade was as white as his teeth except
for a slick of red along the edge. It was like an ice sword from a fantasy painting—probably
a book cover I'd seen once. I couldn't even say what kinda stone it was. Marble?
Flint? It was flecked with tiny spots, like vanilla bean ice cream. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He hefted it back. My breath sorta stuck in my lungs, half in
and half out. I saw what was coming. I saw it all in my mind's-eye. I knew the
exact level and speed of that oncoming strike. I saw my own death. That vanilla-specked
blade was gonna whip into my neck, chop through my adam's apple. Then he'd
yank it back toward himself, slicing off my head as cleanly as Uncle Drew slaying
a chicken for Sunday dinner. I saw it all happen before it happened--before the blow could even arrive. I also imagined how my head would hit the ground and roll in the gore,
and my eyes would look back at my own headless torso as the Lightning Warrior pried my dead fingers from the pole with the Scorpion banner. Then
he'd leave me there, alone and forgotten among hundreds of others dead and
dying bodies on that bloody battlefield. My eyesight would fade to black, the circle getting smaller and smaller, like in an old movie. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But that's not what happened. Something else happened.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">@ Copyright, 2015, Chris Heimerdinger</span></div>
Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-12366619595061943162015-10-23T13:49:00.002-06:002015-10-23T16:20:43.500-06:00Christmas Sale w/ Free Items!<span style="font-size: large;">Hi Tennis Shoes fans,</span><br />
<br />
Yes, I called it a <i>Christmas</i> sale. NOT a Holiday Sale. Just deliberately avoiding political correctness.<br />
<br />
We did this same sale last year and many liked the benefits so...For customers who call me directly at 801-870-2070 to order any of my "Tennis Shoes" or other books OR audio books, I will throw in a <span style="color: #cc0000;">free</span> DVD or book of <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Passage to Zarahemla</span></i>, hardback copy of <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">A Return to Christmas</span></i>, or a copy of <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Muckwhip's Guide to Capturing the Latter-Day Soul</span></i>.<br />
<br />
For a complete list of all books and audio books go to: <a href="http://frostcave.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html">http://frostcave.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html</a>. However, someone mentioned to me that this is an <i>older</i> list and my newest <i>TS Adventure Book 12: Drums of Desolation</i> is not up there. <i>Daniel and Neph</i>i doesn't appear to be listed either. But I have all of those, audio CDs and books. Some items are available only through me directly. Call 801-870-2070. Visa or MC accepted. Yes, I generally answer the phone myself, but don't be too surprised. It's all about feeding my fam. Oh, and if I don't answer, send a text and I'll call back. Voice mail not set up.<br />
<br />
Obviously we need a stronger web presence so I'm announcing for the first time that we are developing a podcast and website with the URL www.foreverLDS.com. It's under construction, so don't expect to find anything there quite yet. Mid-to-late November, right Jared? (Jared is my developer dude. :)<br />
<br />
And I was writing on "Thorns of Glory" just a few minutes ago, so yes, it's coming along. Focus, focus, focus. Intense scene, too. I'll share a post of more of the book later.<br />
<br />
I wish everyone the merriest of Christmases. God protect you and your families.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Stay close to the Lord,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Chris Heimerdinger</span>Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-72392590414455397522015-08-15T14:37:00.003-06:002015-08-15T22:16:13.873-06:00Snippet of "Thorns of Glory"Hi Tennis Shoes Fans and Readers!<br />
<br />
Thought I'd post a short snippet. No particular rhyme or reason for choosing this one. Just wanted to let folks know the book is coming along swimmingly.<br />
<br />
A fan recently asked: Why aren't your Chapter Notes included in the unabridged audio versions? Well, long ago my publisher decided that. I suppose I should've stood my ground and insisted. But then I'd have had to demand that each chapter note was a single "track" so that those who aren't interested in the scholarly stuff could easily skip it. Perhaps I didn't wanted to deal with the additional bureaucracy. Anyway, I'm pleased that readers enjoy the notes, but they're only in the books. When the series is complete I might go back and add them to earlier Tennis Shoes novels so that folks know the research behind certain plot choices in those as well.<br />
<br />
Anyway, here's the snippet, as told from the POV of Harry:<br />
<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"Who are you?" challenged a sentry. This man had only
one arm, doubtless lost in one of the many battles before the Nephites gathered
to Cumorah. Despite the handicap, he wielded his spear expertly, propping it
under his good arm. "What is your division?"<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"The Jaguar Division of Commander Mormon," I fibbed. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>He looked the three of us up and down and snarled, "You don't
wear the uniform of a Jaguar." He and six other men pointed their spears at
our breasts.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"We've been on the northern ridge," I continued,
"on a secret reconnaissance for the Commander. We must reach his
headquarters to make our report."<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Several lanterns guttered along the stairway of the innermost fortification wall, illuminating
Jacobah's face.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>A sentry to my right appraised Jacabah and spat in the dirt.
"Lamanite."<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"Ammonite," Jacobah responded with equal malevolence. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Smart</span></i><span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, I thought.
Everyone knew Commander Mormon employed Ammonites on his staff. These
descendants of Laman, converted centuries ago by the sons of Mosiah, had
occupied Cumorah long before the Nephites. Rumor had it that Mormon was raised
near Cumorah. That relationship, along with Ammonite sympathies, was likely the
reason the Nephites were permitted to gather here after their defeat at Jordan four
years ago. Ammonite hospitality had done little to quash the bigotry of
rank-and-file Nephites, most of whom had long since abandoned Christianity. <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"Who's the girl?" asked the sentry with a missing arm,
apparently surprised that any woman would be out and about on a such a night.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"My sister," Jacobah declared.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I wondered about the wisdom of that answer, but with such dark
features, Mary could hardly be related to me.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"We're in haste," I repeated to the one-armed sentry,
who appeared in command. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"What's the watchword?" he demanded.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I replied without missing a beat. "Title of Liberty."<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>He studied me more closely, his spear only inches from my
throat. He could have swiped off my head with that twelve-inch obsidian tip. I
had no idea what was the correct watchword. I was betting this confrontation was
more about confidence than correct answers. The lead sentry had started to nod.
He was about to send us on our way when another guard—another cripple who
walked with one foot dragging—spoke savagely.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"That's wrong. That was yesterday's watchword."<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Other guards grunted in amusement. Something was off. To have so
luckily named <i>yesterday's</i> watchword
seemed as implausible as naming <i>today's</i>
watchword. My muscles tightened. I doubted if these men knew the correct
watchword. Or if one had even been issued. They had another reason for challenging
us. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The sentry who spat in the dirt indicated me and Jacobah.
"You two can go. You don't need her to make your report." He leered
at Mary and told Jacobah, "Your 'sister' will rejoin you shortly."</b></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Mary was mostly hidden by her shawl, but what little I saw of
her face turned ghastly white . . . </b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for your readership! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stay close to the Lord,</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chris Heimerdinger</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Copyright @ 2015, Chris Heimerdinger</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-66787653658858719662015-07-08T00:23:00.002-06:002015-07-08T10:53:27.044-06:00Speaking Saturday in Cedar City<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For those who live in the area of <span style="color: #cc0000;">Cedar City, Utah</span>, I wanted to invite you to attend a speaking engagement/book-signing, etc. with me this <span style="color: #cc0000;">Saturday, July 11</span>, at the <span style="color: #cc0000;">Freedom Plaza, 150 East Altamira Avenue, from 1:00-3:00 PM.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The event is to support the Kimber Academy and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Constitutional Restoration so they do charge a small fee per family. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For more info and tickets call <span style="color: #cc0000;">435-868-8047</span>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope to see some of you there!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chris Heimerdinger</span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span>Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-9989814087425200812015-06-08T18:19:00.004-06:002015-06-22T10:30:48.594-06:00Post-Millennial Book of Mormon Scholarship<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hi Tennis Shoes Readers,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The following is a rough "Chapter Note" from my latest Tennis Shoes novel entitled <i>Thorns of Glory</i>. (No firm estimate on its release yet. I just go to work everyday.) I hope I have expressed my ideas as well as they can be expressed. If not, I'd be happy to entertain suggestions for improvement, even grammatical. However, if the writing already offers a clear, concise opinion on a certain matter, just let it go. I don't believe in beating dead horses. Strive to stick to information that you think I may not know. I'm not interested in repeating all the data and arguments presently batted back and forth in a myriad of blogs. So here goes:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> POST-MILLENNIAL BOOK OF MORMON SCHOLARSHIP</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
geographical setting for the Hill Cumorah and other locations in this novel are,
for all practical purposes, speculative. For a detailed description of some of
the research that was the foundation of the general region I have selected, the
reader is directed to the notes for Chapter 7 of <i>Tennis Shoes Adventure Series Book 12: Drums of Desolation</i>. I
should mention that as new research has emerged and more convincing arguments
have arisen, I have sometimes revised my opinion of Book of Mormon geography,
such as rejecting, for the most part, a popular suggestion that dates back to (about)
the 1970s proposing the location of the ancient battleground of the Hill
Cumorah as on or near El Cerro Vigia in Veracruz, Mexico. A lengthy discourse
of why I felt the landmark was no longer suitable is covered in my notes for
Chapter 15 of <i>Tennis Shoes Adventure
Series Book 11: Sorcerers and Seers</i>. Over the quarter century that the
Tennis Shoes Series has been in development, I have sometimes felt inclined to
alter perspectives. This seems the most appropriate way to approach Book of
Mormon studies. Unfortunately, it means certain premises offered in my earlier
novels of the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series may now be inaccurate. This is not
to say that these stories are any less of a "thrill-ride" for their
readers, but the rationale behind certain premises <i>may</i> (and I emphasize <i>may</i>)
have become obsolete. Why admit such flaws now as I am purportedly writing the
last volumes in the series? I suppose because, in the end, I'd rather be perceived
as honest and open-minded rather than closed-minded and rigid, especially on an
area where even our Church leaders remain officially neutral. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Substantial
effort has been made over the decades (almost two centuries now!) to pinpoint the
geographic locations of the Book of Mormon. Ever since this volume was first published
in 1830 opinions about the setting for cities and events have morphed and altered.
Certain tenets have fallen in and out of favor. For the first 100 years after
its publication, most Latter-day saints were satisfied with the idea that Book of
Mormon events encompassed both hemispheres. Saints who have little interest in scholarly pursuits on this topic may still embrace the same general perspective.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the first half of the 20th
century LDS researchers began to examine the text more carefully and concluded that
these events took place in a more limited environment--an isolated geographic area. They compared verses that mentioned directions, the flow of rivers, relationships
between cities and other landmarks, as well as other information, alongside
emerging developments and methodologies in related secular sciences. An
intriguing Book of Mormon geography in Mesoamerica started to congeal that
seemed eminently plausible. Many Latter-day Saints became excited. On
occasion, and unfortunately, this information seeped into our proselytizing
efforts around the world. However, over the last decade or so we have watched enthusiasm
for that geography wane—and for reasons that seem to have little to do with the
quality of the scholarship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next
generation may define the golden era of Book of Mormon research as the latter
half of the 20th Century. It was during these decades that some of the most thought-provoking,
disciplined, and creative LDS thinkers presented their most lucid and
well-vetted scenarios. Pursuing this research was quite expensive, and
for the most part it was funded by the Church through Brigham Young University under
the umbrella of such organizations as F.A.R.M.S. and N.W.A.F. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scholars of this era, trained in professional
University disciplines, built upon each other's work and strove to maintain fundamental
objectivity despite their core belief in the Book of Mormon. In other words,
they did their research, presented the information, and then, in the best
tradition of the scientific method, stood back and allowed the "chips to
fall where they may." I note that such scholars were not <i>always</i> perfect in their objectivity, but
for the most part they remained remarkably disciplined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More
importantly (in my mind, at least), scholars of the 20th century allowed the average
lay member of the Church the freedom to ask the question: "Where
did the Book of Mormon take place?" After all, if the volume is true, it had
to take place <i>somewhere</i>. LDS scholars of the past generation gave Church members a kind of license to ponder such matters without fear
of censure—even from fellow Latter-day Saints, who occasionally felt inclined
to remind members that testimony should be based upon faith, not science. 20th
century archaeologists, and other LDS scientists, helped us to understand that no
such conflict existed, that the two issues were unrelated, and that faith and
science could rationally coexist. Disclaimers were often presented
side-by-side with scholarly research reaffirming the tenet that personal testimony
<i>always</i> trumped science, and that the
latter was only meant to supplement the former.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oftimes those
who indulge in scholarly studies have felt irritated by warning voices within
the Church, suspecting that some of these fellow believers are better defined as busybodies rather than well-meaning shepherds. I have experienced this same frustration. Despite this, I believe most warning voices are sincerely trying to protect the flock, and frankly, their
concerns are not wholly unjustified. Some members of the faith <i>have</i> allowed science to trump spiritual
conviction. At times new research has caused well-publicized "evidence"
of the Book of Mormon to come under fresh scrutiny. This scrutiny has sometimes shattered former
perceptions. As a result, testimonies have sometimes been shaken. The same phenomenon occurs when some
members learn isolated details about Joseph Smith or Church history that appear to contradict former understandings. These spiritual challenges—or
"tests"—have always existed for Latter-day Saints. The adversary has a
wide array of stumbling blocks to place in our paths. Those who launch into any
intellectual pursuit, including Book of Mormon research, do so with
varying levels of spiritual maturity. There is always the risk that an
individual's testimony may falter, no matter how vigilant the warning voices of well-meaning
shepherds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still, it
seems rare that intellectual pursuits are <i>solely
</i>responsible for apostasy. It appears commonplace that this "falling away" is accompanied
by matters</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> of personal worthiness. I once asked a prominent LDS scholar if he
had ever known someone who fell away from the Church strictly because of some doctrinal
conflict, whether related to Book of Mormon archaeology or some other intellectual
pursuit. This PhD scientist had also served as a bishop. He solemnly
replied that, in his experience, he'd never known anyone to apostatize strictly
because of doctrinal conflicts, but that individual apostasy was invariably accompanied by serious
issues of transgression. I've certainly never pursued a wide sociological study of this, and the point of view of o</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ne bishop is </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hardly the basis of a reliable aphorism. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Others might cite anecdotes of apostasy devoid of sins or misdeeds (or object to such a stereotype as it applies to their own decision to abandon the faith). But for what it's worth, the parallel</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> rings true for my own personal observations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Moderation
in all things" seems to be an appropriate axiom in matters of intellectual
study. Many saints can recount anecdotes of friends or family members who have
left the Church after becoming obsessed with so-called "mysteries," some
of which may seem like "straining at gnats" rather than serious doctrinal
controversies. I once met an individual uniquely
obsessed with the particulars of the Word of Wisdom. He focused upon "eating
meat sparingly and only in times of winter," as well as other verses in D&C
Section 89. He harshly judged the general membership of the Church for non-obedience
and also spoke disapprovingly of Church leadership for non-enforcement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not many years
ago I watched a number of friends and acquaintances abandon the Church after
articles appeared proclaiming that ancient inhabitants of the Americas could not
trace their DNA to the Middle-East, apparently disproving a basic Book of
Mormon tenet that at least some descendants of Native Americans had Jewish
origins. Later studies have revealed fatal flaws in these initial criticisms
and a lack of understanding of mitochondrial DNA. In spite of this rationale defense by respected geneticists,
my friends and acquaintances have not, to my knowledge, returned to the Church.
To read several articles discussing this subject, go to: http://www.fairmormon.org/perspectives/publications/dna-and-the-book-of-mormon-johnson
and https://www.lds.org/topics/book-of-mormon-and-dna-studies?lang=eng, among
others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another close
friend fell away from the Church in the 1980s after the publication of the
"Salamander Letter"--a document purportedly penned by Martin
Harris, one of "three witnesses" shown the Gold Plates by the Angel
Moroni. This "document" appeared to restyle the Church's narrative
about its earliest days and the coming forth of the Book of
Mormon. One sentence suggested that Joseph Smith was given the macabre commandment
(by a magical spirit or "white salamander") to drag the body of his
deceased brother, Alvin, to the hill where the plates were deposited. The letter
intimated that the origins of the Church were more closely akin to witchcraft
and folk magic than traditional Christianity. Later this letter, along with
other historical documents, were exposed as forgeries, and the forger, Mark
Hoffman, was sentenced to life in prison for murder. Still, these developments did
not cause my friend to rejoin the fold. By then he'd reinforced his apostasy
with other anti-LDS propaganda. (For an insightful review of the
"Salamander Letter" event, see Elder Dallin H. Oaks article at:
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1987/10/recent-events-involving-church-history-and-forged-documents?lang=eng.)
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With these
events in mind, it's understandable why well-meaning Church members sometimes discourage
the study of Book of Mormon archaeology or geography, fearing gullible inquirers might fall into similar deceptions. A case can certainly be made that the
testimonies of some Latter-day Saints are never entirely disentangled from the
"learning of the world." The scriptures address this flaw repeatedly.
In Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life the prophet describes those who have partaken
of the fruit, but after hearing the laughter of onlookers in the "great
and spacious building" they did ". . . cast their eyes about as if
they were ashamed (1 Ne. 8:15)." Another example is Sherem in the Book of
Jacob, who refused to believe in Christ, the Atonement, or any other doctrine
until the Lord (or Jacob) showed him a sign (Jacob 7:13-16). Am I suggesting
that some Church members who study Book of Mormon geography and archaeology seek
similar signs? Absolutely. Am I suggesting that this tendency describes <i>everyone</i> who pursues such studies?
Absolutely <i>not</i>. I believe those in the first
category are vastly in the minority. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like most
Latter-day Saints, I gained my testimony the "old fashioned way,"
precisely as outlined in Moroni 10:3-5. Studies in Book of Mormon geography have
only served to paint a more vivid picture of cultures that <i>might</i> have evolved from the Nephites, Lamanites, and Jaredites.
Such studies have helped illuminate the complexity of the civilizations portrayed
in the Book of Mormon, but I've sought to never allow such studies to interfere
with my personal testimony. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometime around
the turn of the 21st century the study of Book of Mormon archaeology and
geography fell upon hard times and became somewhat foggy in its motives and disciplines. Privately-funded sources
rejected virtually all of the work done by LDS scholars over the last half
century. Despite the development of an intriguing Mesoamerican model of Book of
Mormon geography, these forces remain determined to establish a geography
they believe existed in the earliest days of the Church—a model placing Book of
Mormon territory inside the borders of United States, primarily in the East and
Great Lakes regions, including the hill near Palmyra, NY where Joseph Smith
found the Gold Plates in 1823. This is commonly known as the "Heartland"
model of Book of Mormon geography.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heartland supporters
have embarked upon an aggressive campaign to overwhelm and diminish any theories
related to the Mesoamerican model. The scope of this phenomenon may be
unprecedented in LDS history as it relates to Book of Mormon scholarship. Those who follow its progress have likely observed that the issue divides the lay membership of the Church in a visceral way. As
suggested by its name, the Heartland "movement", at its core, is energized
by statism and American exceptionalism. One of its most touted principals is
that America is the only nation in the western hemisphere that qualifies as
"blessed" or as a "promised land" according to 2 Nephi
1:5-9 and other Book of Mormon verses. In the words of Rodney Meldrum,
President of the FIRM Organization and a foremost Heartland advocate, "<i><span style="background: white;">This is the promised land. The
prophecies and promises indicate that the United States has to be at least some
part of the Book of Mormon, because practically every one of these promises in
it can only really be applied as the United States. It is a nation 'above all
other nations,' and a 'mighty' Gentile nation. Well, what other nation are they
talking about here? I don't think that they are talking about Guatemala here.</span></i><span style="background: white;">"</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This concept
has proven attractive to many American Latter-day Saints, despite the fact that
several Church Presidents and other LDS general authorities have expressed that
the same "prophecies and promises" could be applied to other lands
and nations in the New World. President Brigham Young taught in August of 1852, "<i>The land of Joseph is the land of Zion; and
it takes North and South America to make the land of Joseph</i> (Brigham Young,
<i>Journal of Discourses</i>, Vol.6, p. 296,
Brigham Young, August 15, 1852)." President Heber J. Grant stated, “<i>I am a firm believer that this country, both
North and South America, is the choice land of the world, a land choice above
all other lands, according to the words of the prophets in the Book of Mormon.</i>
(Heber J. Grant, <i>Conference Report</i>,
October 1937, p. 98)."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">My favorite quote may
be from Ezra Taft Benson to the Saints in Bolivia in </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">1979:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"God raised up wise leaders among <i>your </i>progenitors which afforded Latin American countries political
freedom and independence. I only mention the names of a few whom God raised up
to accomplish His holy and Sovereign purposes: Jose de San Martin, Bernardo
O’Higgins, and Simon Bolivar. These were some of the founding fathers of your
continent. I believe it was very significant that when independence came to the
countries of South America, governments were established on constitutional
principles–some patterned after the Constitution of the United States. I
believe this was a very necessary step which preceded the preaching of the
gospel in South America." (Ezra Taft Benson, “The Righteous Need not Fear,” La
Paz, Bolivia, 10-18 January 1979, in <i>Teachings
of Ezra Taft Benson</i>, 695.) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For additional
statements from other Church leaders, including J. Reuban Clark, David O.
McKay, Spencer W. Kimball, and others see: http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon/Geography/Statements/Twentieth_century).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will state here that, for me personally, when it comes to the labels I place upon myself, of none am I
more proud than that of being an American—except one: That of being a
Latter-day Saint. If these two labels ever came in irreconcilable conflict, I'm
afraid the first would be dwarfed by the second. I pray, therefore,
that such a conflict never arises in my lifetime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heartland
advocates also tend to emphasize the preeminent authority of Joseph Smith in matters of
Book of Mormon geography over and above statements by subsequent Church
leaders, despite the fact that Joseph himself remained open and did not declare
a firm Book of Mormon geography. Throughout his life Joseph Smith made various
statements suggesting a Book of Mormon connection in both North and Central
America, but never identified any specific Book of Mormon location. Some feel
this was deliberate; that he preferred to leave such matters to faith. Yet
Heartland supporters carefully select statements from Joseph Smith's life (generally
statements prior to 1835) and shape him as <i>the</i>
undisputed resource of all geographical information related to the Book of Mormon, ignoring any subsequent messages from Church leadership to the contrary. For
example, Harold B. Lee stated, "<i>Well,
if the Lord wanted us to know where it was or where Zarahemla was, He’d have
given us latitude and longitude, don’t you think?</i>" (<i>Teachings
of Harold B. Lee</i>,
Deseret Book, 1996, pg. 155). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The idea that
Joseph Smith was superior in authority to all other Church
Presidents is hardly new. Such a conviction was the motivation for many members
to abandon the Church in the days of Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, and up to
the modern age. Heartland advocates might deny this tendency as a core flaw,
but their teachings come razor close to reasserting a familiar pattern. Even
the title of their documentary series, <i>Joseph
Knew</i>, implies that Joseph Smith taught something about Book of Mormon
geography that later Church leaders somehow did not pick up on, and that it
took modern, lay LDS researchers to uncover and popularize it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's important
to note that the rise of Heartland "movement" coincides with two intriguing
phenomenon: 1. The defunding and reorganization of certain Church-supported groups
such as F.A.R.M.S. and N.W.A.F. that for decades actively pursued Book of
Mormon apologetics and scholarship, and 2. the rise of political conservative
movements in the United States who feel threatened by modern liberal policies in
American politics. Such movements include the "Tea Party Patriots"
who powerfully influenced election results in the 2010 mid-terms and beyond.
The vacuum created by the first phenomenon and the retrenchment inspired by the
second have given Heartland supporters an undeniable surge in popularity,
despite the fact that most LDS scholars still dismiss their theories as amateurish
and agenda-oriented, fitting the model to science as opposed to allowing
science to shape the model. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of particular
concern, Heartland advocates have stated that their model can be confirmed by
personal revelation. An analysis of such statements can be found here: http://www.fairmormon.org/perspectives/publications/misguided-zeal-and-defense-of-the-church-2. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although direct promises of spiritual
confirmation have been tempered in recent years, and some of these statements may
have been removed or revised, it is still common for them to advise
those who study their model to simultaneously seek spiritual guidance. On the
surface this is harmless enough. One presumes that believing Latter-day Saints pursue
this advice in every facet of their lives. So to specifically mention this
principle in direct association with theories not endorsed by the Church seems
ill-advised. The inference is that proponents of these theories </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">have </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">received spiritual confirmation—and
that <i>you can too</i>. Most Latter-day Saints recognize that any such spiritual
confirmation is in direct contradiction of Church policy and the established
pattern of general revelation for the Church as a whole as outlined in the
Doctrine and Covenants (see Section 21 and Section 28).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the past
few years heated debates have arisen between advocates of Mesoamerican
models and the Heartland model. Neither side has been entirely immune from letting the rhetoric degenerate into insults and name-calling. Some members of the Church, recognizing an intense spirit of contention, have expressed
a preference not to indulge in <i>any</i>
discussion of Book of Mormon research or geography, which may have the equally negative effect of inhibiting or stunting any natural human curiosity that Book of Mormon believers should feel free to
foster. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the end this present-day cycle in Book of Mormon scholarship may run its course and prove perfectly healthy.
Church members may feel more inclined to solidify their testimonies based upon
spiritual criteria before embarking upon other theoretical pursuits. We can
hope that future scholars will represent the highest professional disciplines, and will therefore vet, enhance, and improve their Book of Mormon studies while allowing our natural
curiosity to breathe—but without permitting contentious proselytizing for one side or the other to infect
the research. Admittedly, I presently judge the fruits of LDS researchers who
believe the Book of Mormon took place in the Eastern United States to be sloppy,
forced, and agenda-driven. However, I want to remain open to the idea that this may not always be the
case. Stranger things have taken place in the history of academic progress, although at present a complete abandonment of the excellent research offered by LDS scholars of the last 30-50 years seems not only ludicrous, but reckless and damaging.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like any other well-meaning protector of the flock, I'm equally inclined to say that it really doesn't matter where in the New World Book of Mormon events took
place as long we hold firm that they <i>did </i>take
place somewhere in the New World. Whichever Book of Mormon model ultimately settles into place as the most
plausible, it cannot be understated that an overarching respect for <i>present</i> Church leadership stands supreme
and must never be blurred. In addition, I implore all saints to acknowledge
that the blessings and promises found in the Book of Mormon are available to faithful saints in both hemispheres—as well as righteous members across the
globe—and that such discussions should never be allowed to devolve into debates
about the superiority of any people or nation based upon exceptionalism or pride. </span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-84597319753443981062015-03-31T19:15:00.001-06:002015-03-31T20:27:10.723-06:00Thorns of Glory Prologue<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
Hey Tennis Shoes Fans!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I suppose it's about time. I've considered posting the Prologue for a couple months now. There's always a trade-off. Folks seem to like to know that I'm busy writing, but irritated that there's a brutal cliffhanger at the end of these postings. With that in mind, dive in! I'm presently focused on other parts of the book. No predictions on when I'll be finished. I just go to work every day.<br />
<br />
Oh, someone asked me about books like <i>Eddie Fantastic</i> or <i>Daniel and Nephi</i> on Audio. Yes, I can still get those for customers. After all, I'm the author. :) Just call the number above.</div>
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As always, ignore typos or other errors in this Prologue. This is only a rough draft. Uniquely, it's written from the perspective of Jim's son, Harry, which is a first. Enjoy!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Prologue</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Harry<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is where my father usually starts some kind of
philosophic rambling. It's just my father's way whenever he opens a story about
our families' adventures. I couldn't say why it's become my task to write the
opening of this particular account. I think my father's prologues are actually
rather profound.<i> He's </i>the
philosopher. I'm not the philosopher. At the moment I'd had no idea where my
father was, so somehow the torch has fallen to me. Therefore I'll do my best to
offer some of the thoughts that crossed my mind just prior to the devastating events
about to befall my family at the Hill Cumorah. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I was a boy I experienced a terrible accident that had left
me crippled. The accident took place during the destructions that befell the
city of Jacobugath in the New World after the death of the Savior. My memory is
vague on details. According to my father, I was standing beneath a stone wall
when the earth shook and the wall collapsed. Hundreds of stones buried my body.
Apparently I almost died. When I came to my senses there was no feeling in my
legs. I couldn't move them. Couldn't even budge. Somebody might've sawed them
off and I wouldn't have felt a thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the next year I remained in that physical condition. I
had no reason to believe it would ever change. This all happened a long time
ago, but I suppose I went through all of the different stages of disbelief,
anger, denial, resentment, etc., that anyone who experiences such a tragedy
goes through. And yet I distinctly remember that my mind eventually settled
into a kind of acceptance. I'm not sure of the exact moment that I reached this
mental state. I think it was a couple months prior to the miraculous healing I
received at the hands of Jesus Christ. Yes, I really came to accept that for
the rest of my life I would require the help of others to fully function and
make the most of my contribution to the world. What I remember distinctly is
that I taught myself how to get around pretty well using just my arms and
hands. I think it drove my father a little crazy when he'd find me a couple hundred
yards away from the place where he'd left me. I was starting to take pride in
the fact that for the most part I was perfectly capable of taking care of
myself. Plus, I remember my biceps and triceps became rock-solid during that
year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't misunderstand me. My gratitude was overflowing when
the Savior laid his hands on my head and healed me. But I also remember that
for a couple days I felt a strange sense of regret. Perhaps I regretted that I
was going to lose all the attention I'd been receiving. No, I don't think that
was it. I'd gained a certain sense of self-esteem during that year and in some
strange, nutty way, I think I was afraid that self-esteem might evaporate. It
didn't happen, of course, and any such fears or regrets were only fleeting. It
wasn't long before I was running, jumping, and climbing for all that I was
worth and praising God in my heart for the miracle that He'd bestowed upon me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It might sound strange, but in the hours prior to the attack
on Cumorah, I found myself pondering that year of my life. I pondered the
various stages of fear, anger, denial, and acceptance that I went through. All
those memories coursed through my mind as I observed the citizens inside the
fortifications of Zenephi. After the attack commenced they remained still in their
encampments, mostly stricken with shock. Nearly all of them wore expressions of
mortal terror. Fear burned like acid in the very marrow of their bones. It was
heart-wrenching to witness the scenes before me: mothers with small children
clutching her robes, people huddled close to fires, sobbing quietly, relatives inquiring
about a father or husband or some other loved one who manned one of the
fortification walls, wondering when or if they might ever see this person again.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I could hear other mutterings from Nephite encampments. The
emotions were almost universally negative—hatred against the Lamanites and
Gadiantons and curses against God, who in their eyes had failed to deliver them
from this catastrophe. I also heard rabid complaints against Mormon and the
Nephite Council. To the average citizen of Zenephi, no party was above
contempt. According to them every bit of their circumstances was the fault of
others. No one acknowledged a particle of responsibility. I listened for vocal
prayers among the masses and heard none. Oh, there were plenty who criticized
God, but none who appeared to seek His protection, power, or mercy. This alone
seemed incomprehensible. How could so many souls have grown so cold? My heart
wept that the only vocalizations I heard were laced with blasphemy and blame.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All of the women and children – some toddlers barely old
enough to walk – were armed with weapons. I saw one kid, no more than four or
five years old, gripping the hilt of an obsidian sword. He could barely lift
the thing. How could anyone think this boy could fight back?—that he might
offer the slightest advantage when the Lamanites finally spilled over the
defensive walls and spread across the bowl, hacking and chopping everything
that moved or breathed? Nevertheless, no man, woman, or child who could wield a
weapon was spared the responsibility.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Earlier in the evening I'd watched two young children – one
of them a girl – sparring with remarkable determination and ruthlessness. They
took the match as seriously as I've ever seen amidst any pair of combatants.
Their dodges and parries may not have been skilled or pretty, but if their
instructors had allowed it, their strikes would have been lethal. The
instructor was usually a patient mother. A mother, yes, but she taught these
children exactly how to deliver an effective deathblow. If the child was over
the age of 10 they were educated in the fine art of slashing the femoral artery
below an enemy's groin. If the child was younger, they were taught to stab
toward an attacker's face. I winced and shuddered whenever I saw these practice
sessions. What time of year was it? November? December? It occurred to me that
as the children of my own century decorated Christmas trees or waited in line
to sit on the lap of Santa Claus, the children of the Nephites were learning
how to gouge out the eyes of a Lamanite warrior.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course my own personal circumstances were no less dire
than the rest of these condemned souls. Not only was my family threatened by
the prospect of Lamanites invading from without, but we also worried about
Gadianton ghosts materializing out of the gloom and attacking from within. It
was a terrible reality to feel so many threats from multiple directions. Yet
these were the emotions that would likely keep all of us awake for the rest of
the night.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It might seem peculiar, but in those initial hours, as the
attack on Cumorah unfolded, I felt unreasonably calm. My sense of inner peace
seemed almost abnormal. I had no fear of death. That didn't mean I was going to
roll over and let myself or my family be killed. However, if today turned out
to be my day to die, I was completely willing to accept it. And I felt sure it
was my memory of being crippled for a year and meeting the Savior that was
responsible for my state of mind. Adding to my placidity were the years I'd spent
on Lincoln Island in the Aegean Sea, honing my skills with a sling and finding
other ways to survive. And perhaps most recently, the thing that had honed my
perceptions of this calamity was the hour I'd spent that morning with Jonas,
one of the three Nephite disciples who would never taste of death. He'd visited
me while I was in the clutches of King Sa'abkan of the Lamanites. It was Jonas
– and my faith in God – that made it possible for me to escape and rejoin my
family. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jonas had delivered a message to me of unparalleled confidence.
He'd assured me that everything was in the Lord's hands. Even the events of
this horrible day – every nuance and variation – was to be understood as it was
overseen by the universe's Grand Designer. This might seem contradictory to
some: How could a God of love ever sanction the awful and bloody events about
to unfold? How could He allow the slaughter of so many thousands of women and
little children – so many innocent lives? But Jonas had explained, through the
Spirit, that such a grim outlook represented only the perspective of the living
– us poor blokes stuck in the temporal world. On the other side of the veil the
viewpoint was entirely different. Homecomings were about to occur– reunions
with the Savior and His angels, not to mention reunions between long-separated family
and friends. Many of those who wallowed in terror were on the cusp of relishing
a sudden embrace of relief – a welcome reward after enduring the unendurable.
Before this day was over, countless souls who'd forgotten whatever names and
identities they may have held in the pre-earth life would have such memories
restored in the blink of an eye. They'd remember everything. How was it that
death had ever become a thing so dreaded by humankind? To any person who was
thoughtful, intelligent, and spiritual, dying should have been something to be welcomed
and embraced.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No one ever viewed a disaster like this in those terms. They
saw it purely from the perspective of the world. And certainly for some – those
whose spirits had become irretrievably evil and corrupt – it would be a day of
reckoning, a day of descent into the purging fires of hell. Who could say what
percentage of these souls on Cumorah's slopes would experience an ecstasy of
joy or a crucible of guilt within the next 24 hours? It wasn't for me to judge.
I only knew that it was all meant to be. It had been forewarned. Foretold. For
decades the Lord had stretched out his hand to the Nephites – a welcoming hand
of redemption. That hand had been swatted away one too many times. The fruits
of judgment were about to be reaped. Every portion and parcel of tomorrow's
events were being shaped, whittled, and honed by God's justice and mercy. I
knew that the Nephite people felt nothing of the solemnity that I felt. Shucks,
I wasn't even sure if many members of my own family felt those same perceptions.
During much of the evening Mary had been clutching my hands so tightly that it
turned my fingers white. Nevertheless, <i>I</i>
felt such perceptions. I felt terribly blessed that somehow the warm fires of
peace had managed to encompass my soul so thoroughly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Surely most people would feel honored to have experienced some
of the miracles that I, Harry Hawkins, had experienced during my life. Eh,
perhaps some might've been scared out of their wits by a visitation from someone
like Jonas. Others might've taken for granted having their broken spine healed
by the Savior of the world, much like the nine lepers in Luke who quickly dispersed
without so much as a "thank you" to the Master who'd made them whole.
Some might have bragged about any clear and obvious miracles until they were
blue in the face. And maybe such bragging would've brought about exactly the
opposite result of what they'd expected. I believe no aspect of our relationship
with God is more important than trust and loyalty. To put it rather bluntly, a
recipient of God's miracles must have the self-discipline to "shut
up." That is, they must have the ability to keep such things secret in
their hearts, unless God commands otherwise. Blabbering about such events,
especially to those who would trample them underfoot like pearls before swine,
might nullify some of the blessings such miracles were meant to bring about.
Even when it came to sharing such events with our dearest loved ones I had the
attitude that great care had to be taken. I just felt it was best to keep
sacred things sacred.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That hour with Jonas had reconfirmed everything I'd learned during
the year I was crippled. And also during those three years as a castaway on
Lincoln Island—The idea that God is undeniably in control – no matter the
outcome of any situation. Some might interpret a philosophy like that as an
excuse not to act, to become complacent and just let fate rain down upon them.
However, that's not the lesson that I learned. I learned that most often the
blessings that God showers upon us are integrally connected to our individual
choices and actions. The two can't be separated. There's a peculiar balance
between feeling buoyed up purely by Godly faith and feeling compelled to act as
if nothing is buoying us up at all. Pausing to analyze such things too
fastidiously is often a serious mistake. The idea is to just flow with these
kinds of things. We've all heard the expression: <i>Believe as if everything depends upon God and to act as if everything
depends upon you.</i> Oh, how I wish that sentence could never strike anybody
as a threadworn cliché! Because in my experience there are very few people with
the courage to believe this expression is true at that critical moment when it
mattered most. <i>This</i> was one of those
moments. The Lamanite warriors were finally launching their attack. Truthfully,
I think my life experiences had made the concept of God's intimate involvement
a natural part of my thought processes, almost like a fifth appendage. And I
couldn't help but feel a keen sense of sorrow for those who had not attained
the same conviction. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over the last few minutes the Lamanite drums had gone utterly
silent. This silence had come after what had seemed like weeks of relentless
pounding, hammering, and thundering of instruments across every sector of the
Lamanite and Gadianton ranks. Now every drum had become hauntingly still. The
effect of this unexpected change upon the Nephite masses was palpable. It
further frayed or clenched every human nerve. It seemed as if a new kind of
fear was building intensity amidst the people. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The trench filled with bitumen tar between Mormon's innermost
defensive wall and the natural obstacle of the Sacred Deer River continued to rage
in flames. This black ooze stretched along the entire length of the
southeastern line. As flaming arrows had ignited this substance it sent up a
wall of flames 100 feet into the starry sky. This was the only sight to occupy
our eyes as the night wore on. Despite the burning trench, everything else was eerily
quiet. No additional arrows. No more drums. Every Nephite sheltering inside Cumorah's
bowl had to be wondering what game their enemies were playing. No moment yet in
this war had struck me as more unsettling to the average soldier. An eternity
had passed since the besieged populace had been able to speak without raising
their voices above the percussion of drums. Now, for the first time in weeks,
they could hear the inhale and exhale of their lungs. They could hear their own
heartbeats, the rush of blood in their veins, the rumblings inside thof empty
stomachs, and the awful whisper of impending death just beside and somewhat
below their listening ears. We could also hear the quiet rumble of flames in
the trench and the mournful groan of the wind. What did it mean, this sudden
silence? The change in Cumorah's atmosphere wrapped itself around the Nephite
nation like the tentacles of some invisible monster. Were the Lamanites
planning a midnign assault? Did they intend to unleash some secret weapon upon
our fortifications in the wee hours before dawn? What if burning away the bitumen
moat had been a deliberate, calulated act? A prelude to something incomprehensibly
horrifying?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The stench of petroleum was thick in our nostrils. Smoke was
beginning to obscure the shapes of tents and the silhouettes of people amidst the
candle and lantern light. A breeze blew most of the smoke northward, sparing
the lungs of most families in the bowl. It would be particularly oppressive for
the soldiers of the Scorpion Division under the command of Gidgiddonihah, as
well as other divisions defending the eastern escarpments. As lantern light
near and far appeared ever more ethereal in the din, I imagined that hallowed
glow – the beckoning light – described by those who'd given accounts of
near-death experiences: the "light" that urged them forward into the
arms of their Maker.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still, my own nerves remain steady, like Damascus steel. I
credited some of this steadiness to the fact that I was surrounded by loved
ones, men and women of extraordinary faith – Mary, Steffanie, Uncle Garth,
Jacobah the Lamanite, even my young cousin Rebecca. Sakerra McConnell, too,
seemed firmly entrenched in her faith, although I wasn't so sure about her
impetuous brother, Brock. The only regular member of our company who was
missing was young Jesse, the orphan from ancient Israel. He was presently in
the care of Mormon's personal physicians inside the commander's private compound,
suffering from an arrow wound in virtually the same spot in his shoulder that
had been pierced a few weeks earlier. It seemed likely that Mormon's compound
had by now been overwhelmed by the injured warriors of Joshua's Fox Division—those
who'd recklessly and courageously stormed the eastern escarpments earlier today
in an effort to rejoin Mormon's forces.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The result of Joshua's charge was
terrible loss of life. Causalities no doubt littered the grounds inside the
commander's headquarters, hundreds who had suffered at the hands of the
Lamanites and lightning warriors of Teotihuacán. Many condemned Captain Josh,
calling it foolhardy to think his army could ever cross those marshes and
reached the walls considering the odds he'd faced. But most described Joshua as
a hero—a man who had surveyed his only opportunity to join re-Mormon inside
Cumorah' iss fortifications and acted quickly by way of the only possible
route. Joshua himself had gone MIA during the operation. Gidgiddonihah claimed
that he'd witnessed the very moment when my cousin disappeared into a
geothermal vent in the side of the cliff. Right now Joshua's whereabouts were an
utter mystery – a fact that only added to the turmoil in the hearts of his
sister, Rebecca, and his father, my Uncle Garth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It seemed only a moment ago that Gidgiddonihah, accompanied
by a small contingent of warriors, had reached us with news of Joshua's
disappearance. Gid arrival was just before the drums fell silent. Only moments
after his message had been delivered the volly of arrows had begun to ignite
the trench. He was quickly summoned back to the eastern escarpment by his
second in command, a soldier of like mind and temperament named Ukiah. The
Scorpion commander departed leaving behind only Jacobah, the faithful Lamanite
convert who'd once served as Ryan Champion's bodyguard. Jacobah carried a
Nephite spear, nearly seven feet in length, one that had been cleverly designed
like the Roman lance or pilum (or so Apollus had boasted) to snap on impact so
that it couldn't be retrieved by the enemy and flung back. I noticed that Jacobah
stared at me with a strange intensity, as if he had something to say, but had
not yet worked up the nerve to say it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the ominous absence of battle drums, we felt sorely torn
whether to watch the lands before us to see if the Lamanite Army would rush
through the flames or study the near distances behind us and on either side to
defend against a possible attack by Gadianton ghosts. Only yesterday these
demons had somehow abducted Megan and Apollus. Our companions' whereabouts were
no less mysterious than the whereabouts of Joshua Plimpton. Not a trace had
been left to offer us a clue about where they'd gone. There was no way to know
if they were alive or if any of them would return, and it was clear that such a
fate could swallow any one of us whole at any instant. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So even while my heart was at peace, every nerve-ending
along each inch of my flesh remained on high alert. If a ghost had appeared in
front of me, I'd have reacted out of habit and training, not out of fear. Maybe
this wasn't a good thing. Maybe a warrior's reaction time would be swifter if he
was just a little terrified. Any thread of complacency – however thin – might
be the difference between life and death.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As we waited and watched to see what would happen next on
this epic night, I once again met the intensity in Jacobah's eyes. He couldn't
seem to stop staring at me. Finally I called him over.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"What's on your mind, Jacobah?" I asked casually.
"It's obvious you want to say something."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Yes," he confessed. He glanced at the ground,
then looked directly into my eyes. I think he also studied my nose, still a bit
purple and bent out of shape from abuses it had received at the hands of King
Sa'abkan and his minions. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jacobah ultimately just came out with it. "I wish to
serve as your bodyguard."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mary glanced from me and back to him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I studied Jacobah curiously. "You served as Ryan's
bodyguard for a long time. Now you feel compelled to serve someone else? I
thought you were serving Gidgiddonihah and the Scorpion Division."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I have already discussed this matter with Commander
Gid," said Jacobah. "He is willing to accede to my wishes."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Why serve me?" I said dismissively. "I'd
rather you served one of the women. Or perhaps young Rebecca."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jacobah shook his head. "All of us serve the women
equally. Naturally, if one of them is threatened, I would serve them first. But
it is my inclination that I should specifically serve you."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I crooked an eyebrow. "Why?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He hedged a bit and replied, "Because, Harry Hawkins,
it is clear that you are less experienced in warfare than some of the others.
And yet I sense that your life is particularly valuable to this company."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I frowned visibly. His statement was not complementary. I
felt embarrassed. I think in the firelight I might have even been blushing.
"I'm not any more important than anyone else. And I'm certainly not as
inexperienced as someone like Ryan Champion."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"True," Jacobah agreed, seeming to take in my
broken nose once more. "Nevertheless it is my inclination to serve
you."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Others in the group were now listening in on our
conversation. Uncle Garth looked away, fighting a smile. Brock blurted a single
laugh.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Wh-what about my uncle?" I asked awkwardly.
"He certainly needs your services more than I do."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Perhaps so," Garth replied, "but shucks,
Harry, I don't think a middle-aged man like me is going to attract as much as
attention in battle as a young bull like yourself."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I countered with, "In the heat of battle I don't think
anyone's age is going to make any difference whatsoever."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jacobah realized how embarrassed and uncomfortable I felt.
He said, "Please don't be offended, Harrison. I don't pretend to fully
understand why I am beset with this inclination. I suppose you are free to
reject my services, but . . ."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"But what?" </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"But . . . I will probably follow my inclination
anyway." He continued to stare humbly at the ground.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I grunted with a sound that was somewhere between laughter
and resentment. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"You mean to tell me you're going to serve as my bodyguard
whether I agree to it or not?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jacobah nodded, still looking down. " It is my
inclin—"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Your 'inclination!' Yes! I get it. I just don't
understand it. I don't need a bodyguard, Jacobah. It's already my job to
protect Mary and the other –"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Naturally," Jacobah interrupted, "by
association I will aid you in such duties. For now I simply ask that you . . . <i>tolerate</i> my increased attention."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It's ridiculous!" I snorted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mary touched my arm. "It also seems harmless."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I just don't need a bodyguard," I repeated to her
quietly, though everyone else overheard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Of course you don't," said Steffanie, a hint of
levity in her tone. "But Jacobah sounds rather determined."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I looked skyward, still shaking my head. I felt a sudden
rush of self-reproach. It was almost as if God had recognized my inner
placidity and interpreted it as pride. Therefore He'd sent Jacobah to assuage any
dangerous tendencies toward cockiness. Well, God was never wrong about these
things. Therefore, I sighed in resignation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Fine," I said to Jacobah, rather tartly.
"But if anyone else in this company is hurt because you're sticking so
close to me –" I pondered how to finish this sentence and came up with,
"–I'm going to be upset."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Brock now laughed unreservedly. Even one corner of his
sister, Sakerra's mouth had curled into a smile.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As suddenly as our hearts had lightened our expressions
sobered and our countenances fell. The weight of the moment settled back upon
us, and the anxiety everyone felt about our missing and injured loved ones. We stared
back toward the flaming trench. A waft of petroleum fumes curled over us and
made our eyes water. The stench sent Rebecca into a coughing fit. We covered
our mouths and noses with our hands, but there was no way to entirely avoid it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kerra squinted as she seemed to peer intently into the
blackness beyond the flames. "What <i>are</i>
they doing out there?" she whispered to no one in particular.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her gaze was so earnest and concentrated that the rest of us
felt drawn to gaze at the same location where her eyes were focused. Was it
possible that she perceived something that the rest of us hadn't? Or was she
just exercising her intuition? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was her brother who asked, "Do you see something out
there, Sis, or are you talking just to hear yourself talk?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kerra paid her brother a fleeting, scornful glance, tempted,
I think, not to answer his question at all. When she noticed that others
appeared to have some form of the same question on their minds, she quipped,
"The latter, for now. But I have a strange feeling that—"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's as far as she got before an entirely unexpected sound
overwhelmed us from an unexpected direction. It erupted from <i>behind</i> us – a chilling sound – like the infuriated
cry of a monster or some other gargantuan beast, but echoing and twisted as if
the noise had been distorted by the forces of relativity. I was berating myself
inwardly even as my body was spinning around. It should have been perfectly
predictable that the instant we allowed our concentration to become fiercely drawn
elsewhere that the Gadianton ghosts would strike. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first thing my eyes perceived was a pulsing circle of cold
blue energy, elliptical in shape, hovering about 10 feet away and one meter
above the earth, spreading outward like a pattern of waves created after
dropping a boulder in choppy waters. The edges were expanding rapidly. At first
the circle was convex, bulging inward, as if trying to suck something into its
vortex. But in less than a second the bulge flipped outward, concave. It was
immediately apparent that something evil was about to be expelled—regurgitated—directly
on top of us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In that instant I realized the seriousness of Jacobah's
"inclination" to become my full-time bodyguard. I was also forced to
acknowledge the truth behind his appraisal of my actual skill-level as a
warrior. Before I could even reach back my hand to snatch the obsidian blade
from behind my shoulder, Jacobah had already leaped in front of me and hoisted back
the full weight of his 7-foot spear to hurl it into the heart of the vortex.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Something was definitely emerging from that concave bubble.
The terrible roar transformed into something like a monster's maniacal death
throes. It increased to a piercing volume, as if it might shred our eardrums
and blow us backward like an explosion. Whatever was coming out of that vortex
it was massive enough that we all felt certain there was nowhere to run or hide
– nothing to permit our escape. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Copyright @ 2015 Chris Heimerdinger</span></div>
Chris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-46700843264748280722015-01-09T12:20:00.002-07:002015-01-21T18:03:29.279-07:00HAPPY NEW YEAR! Keep the Free Items Coming With Every Order!!!<br />
I hope everyone enjoyed (or IS enjoying) <em>Tennis Shoes Vol. 12:</em> <em>Drums of Desolation</em>. I'm very proud of this book. It's one of my finest works. It was truly a story of great care and detail, and, I hope, FUN! Most readers might be surprised to reflect that the whole story only covered two or three days. As readers know, those were several very INTENSE days. I hope readers enjoyed that the Akish (subplot) finally had a rousing conclusion, and I hope they appreciated the introduction of great new characters like Muskah (yeah, he's a battle mammoth, but pretty cool). And the scenes with Harry while captive among the Lamanites remain some of the finest stuff I've ever written. (Those who've read the books realize what I mean.) I know there remain many questions still unanswered. Trust me. They <em>will </em>all be answered. And Gidgiddoniah with a love interest?? I envisioned that twist from the time I decided to merge the <em>Tennis Shoes Series</em> with the <em>Zarahemla Series</em>. Having said that, both characters come from very different places emotionally and I don't know how it will all work out. I know that must sound crazy that even the author doesn't quite know how it will turn out. This is when writers use that famous (and agonizing) quote: "I just let the characters write themselves." In other words, actions and decisions have to be true and real to the circumstances, and sometimes I need to flesh out those circumstances before I fully know the results.<br />
<br />
Having rambled on about all that, I hope all customers over Christmas appreciated getting "free items" with every purchase. Most people asked for a copy of the DVD <em>Passage to Zarahemla</em>, but I've had many also request my book <em>Muckwhip's Guide to Capturing the Latter-day Soul</em>, and the hardbound edition of <em>A Return to Christmas</em> as well as the music "Whispered Visions" from the movie <em>Passage to Zarahemla</em>. I love those songs. That music CD is the only thing I've ever created that I enjoy as a consumer. I don't enjoy my books because I know how they all end. But <em>music! </em>It often comes into my ears as if I didn't have anything to do with composing or even singing; I just enjoy them like any other listener.<br />
<br />
I STILL HAVE MANY FREE ITEMS ON HAND! Even those who ordered LDS items from me on Amazon last year noted my occasional "secret gift" with their orders. It was my way of blowing away the competition, whether Deseret Book or Seagull or Amazon. AND I'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO! When you call me directly to place an order for any usual product using my phone number above (and talking with <em>me</em>. I'm really not that famous, so please don't hesitate to call), just let me know what "free item" you would like your order to include. Here's a more concise list of free items:<br />
<br />
--DVD of Passage to Zarahemla<br />
--Novel of Passage to Zarahemla<br />
--"Whispered Visions" music from Passage to Zarahemla<br />
--Muckwhip's Guide to Capturing the Latter-Day Soul<br />
--A Return to Christmas (Ballantine hardbound edition)<br />
<br />
There are also several items you can add to any order for a deep discount:<br />
<br />
--Escape from Zarahemla novel: $6.95 (normally$14.95)<br />
--Escape from Zarahemla audio CD: $12.95 (normally $27.98)<br />
<br />
I may also be the only place right now that you can still get the 1-5 Audio Gift Sets (6-10 is on backorder but should be available soon) or the BOOK Gift Sets of 1-6 and 7-12. Costco was the only store where this special set was available before Christmas. Well, Costco and, of course, THE AUTHOR HIMSELF. You will save a ton a money if you suddenly want an entire autographed collection of the books. ALL BOOKS and CDS and DVDS are signed by me. Those who call 801-870-2070 can request that they be signed in way that is "personalized". In other words, signed to just your family or to an individual who might be getting them for a birthday or other occasion.<br />
<br />
I thank everyone profoundly for all the support and success we achieved this season. Now I am braced for the barrage of questions from fans asking "When the NEXT Tennis Shoes is coming out?" Well, I'm writing it. I'm writing it even today. But it's too soon to predict a release. I hope later this year. But I'd have to write fast to meet that goal. A safer bet would be the spring of 2016. In any case, you won't be waiting YEARS (plural). The title will be <em>Thorns of Glory</em>. I'm excited about the unfolding story and enjoying watching it come to life. THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR YOUR READERSHIP!<br />
<br />
Stay close to the Lord,<br />
<br />
Chris HeimerdingerChris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8426723056163837913.post-29041383902042123192014-11-06T13:58:00.000-07:002014-12-11T08:08:03.184-07:00Upcoming Signings// Free Item for Calling Direct ContinuesHey Tennis Shoes Fans!<br />
<br />
Here's a number of signings scheduled for Costco (and BYU-I in Rexburg) in the next upcoming weeks. All Costco signings are scheduled for <span style="color: red;">3-6 PM unless otherwise indicated. </span>I hope this time works well for parents who may want to bring kids after school. More dates may be added to this calendar, but this is what we have for now. Hope to see you there!<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Sandy Utah Costco--Nov. 19 (12-3PM)</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">BYU Idaho--Nov. 20 (4-7 PM)</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">BYU Idaho--Nov. 22 (12-3 PM)</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Lehi Utah Costco--Nov. 24</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Ogden Utah Costco--Dec. 4 </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Lehi Utah Costco--Dec. 8</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Sandy Utah Costco--Dec. 11 </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">cancelled for illness</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Ogden Utah Costco--Dec. 18</span><br />
<br />
For those who still wish to order <em>Tennis Shoes 12:</em> <em>Drums of Desolation </em><span style="color: #38761d;"><u>directly from me</u></span> (book or audio book), I'm pleased to report I can still provide a <strong><em>free item</em></strong> with every order. Choose from the following<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;">:</span> </span><span style="color: #990000;">1. DVD for <em>Passage to Zarahemla</em> 2. book for <em>Passage to Zarahemla</em> 3. book of <em>Muckwhip's Guide to Capturing the Latter-Day Soul</em>, or 5. "Whispered Visions" song CD from the movie <em>Passage to Zarahemla</em>.</span> All items are free with your order. ($3.00 is added for shipping.) You can also receive a copy of the <span style="color: #0b5394;">Audio Book for <em>Escape From Zarahemla</em></span> for $15.00 (normally $28.00). <strong><u>Call 801-870-2070</u></strong>.<br />
<br />
I love my readers! Thanks for all your support!<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Chris HeimerdingerChris Heimerdingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02000418124642779132noreply@blogger.com7