New Podcast!--"The Mystery of Frost Cave"

We've posted our 34th podcast on www.ForeverLDS.com! 

"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. 

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.

The cave today is called "Spirit Mountain Cavern." In my youth these passages were the adventureland that inspired the major plot twist that has been part of the series since Book 1: "Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites." --the legendary "Rainbow Room". 

To listen, go to: https://foreverlds.com/podcast/2018/6/the-mystery-of-frost-cave

Posted on ForeverLDS: "A Jew, a Nephite, and a Jaredite walked into a bar...."

Gulf Coast Maya ruins of Comalcalco, Mexico

I've posted Episode 33 of my podcast on www.foreverLDS.com. It has a rather unusual name: "A Jew, a Nephite, and a Jaredite walked into a bar...".

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. 

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!

https://foreverlds.com/podcast/2018/6/a-jew-a-nephite-and-a-jaredite-walked-into-a-bar-

Sincerely,Chris Heimerdinger

SECTION 29: The Great Unfolding Plan

DOCTRINE AND COVENANT SECTION 29: The Great Unfolding Plan

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: Section 29 of the Doctrine and Covenants. 

And it's LONG! Didn't some folks tell me they liked longer podcasts? 

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. 

Prepare to be utterly consumed with fire! 

(Well, not literally. At least...uh...not today. MAYBE a week from Tuesday. Don't pencil in any plans! GO HERE:

https://foreverlds.com/…/section-29-the-great-unfolding-plan

5 Women Who Were Witnesses of the Physical Golden Plates

Greetings! 

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.

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. :)
https://foreverlds.com/podcast/2018/3/5-women-who-witnessed-the-physical-gold-plates
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.

Further Inisight on Book of Mormon Geography: Common Sense

Greetings Tennis Shoes Readers and Fans!

I have great discussions on Facebook, and I wonder if the info ever gets "seen" by anyone, except perhaps 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, "Battle of the Book of Mormon Geographies."  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:

"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 attempting 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. 

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 was 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.

Very little in the mound-builder cultures dates to the right time period of Book of Mormon events. About 95% of the sites unearthed postdate 400 A.D. Now, that doesn't mean there isn't a connection. D&C Section 32 verifies that some kind of link exists.

Further work should be pursued and MUST be pursued.

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). 

The main ingredient missing in Ohio or Georgia or Great Lakes archaeology is a written language--glyphs, pictographs, 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 archaeological heritage, as scant as it is, and give such finds as much publicity as possible. 

At the top of this post is a photo of the "Bat Creek" Stone from Tennessee, 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. 

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?

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 podcast. 

Just two more cents to add to the discussion. 

Stay close to the Lord, Chris Heimerdinger

NOTE: Eventually, inevitably, I hope subscribers here will switch over to www.foreverlds.com. That's really the "happenin'" place for all things "Tennis Shoes" and "Heimerdinger". As well as our new YouTube channel.

New Podcast! "BATTLE OF THE BOOK OF MORMON GEOGRAPHIES"

Greetings Tennis Shoes Fans!

My latest podcast, "Battle of the Book of Mormon Geographies" just posted on ForeverLDS. One of my best (and perhaps most controversial) podcasts. 

I also include an excerpt from "Thorns of Glory"--exactly what I happened to write that same day!

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 other podcasts, and therefore only be jarring for a minute or two. PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Also, FEEDBACK on the first 10 minutes of the PREVIOUS 10 minute visualization of "The Legacy of Mormon and Moroni" on our YouTube Channel, would be MOST appreciated. Your feedback means the world to me. 

Stay close to the Lord,
Chris Heimerdinger

Hello ForeverLDS Readers and Listeners!

Considering our YouTube Channel, I should add viewers. What's currently on the channel is the first 10 mintues of Podcast 23: The Legacy of Mormon and Moroni: Fresh Perspectives on the Last Decades of the Book of Mormon. 

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, "Hey, Chris, it would be so much better if we could see your face you narrate!" 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. 

I have already filmed the NEXT podcast, entitled, Battle of the Book of Mormon Geographies: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"--Dickens. Restoring reason to an unreasonable situation. 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 www.ForeverLDS.com quickly.

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. 

OH, and for an update on Tennis Shoes 13: Thorns of Glory, 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 listen)!

Stay close to the Lord,

Chris Heimerdinger

New Forever LDS Podcast: Legacy of Mormon and Moroni

I am proud to present the 23rd episode of our Latter-day Podcast, www.ForeverLDS.com! 

THE LEGACY OF MORMON AND MORONI: Fresh perspectives on the last decades of The Book of Mormon

Much stuff has been posted on our Mormon Podcast over the last couple weeks, including a new session of the Professional LDS Storytellers Workshop 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.

Also, I keep adding clips to our brand new YouTube Channel. NEW SUBSCRIBERS WELCOME! The one titled Premiere of Passage to Zarahemla: Fans Gushing Shamelessly is all in good fun. Hope no one is offended . . . too 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.

As far as the general, free 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 Tennis Shoes 13: Thorns of Glory. 

Gratefully, life is better and the engine is chugging a bit faster.

The entire www.ForeverLDS.com site is also headed for a major overhaul. Look for this in the next couple weeks!

Sincerely,
Chris Heimerdinger 

Announcing...Session 6: The Business of Storytelling NOW POSTED!

Greetings Tennis Shoes Fans!

The Professional LDS Storytellers Workshop is the first such 
Workshop of its kind for 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 additional sessions on this topic! They're just not posted yet. Go to: 
https://foreverlds.com/course/storytellers-workshop

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. Session 6 hits the ground running with the most essential information, as well as rarely-discussed gems:

*To Publish or NOT to Self-Publish

*Soliciting Professional Feedback

*Details of Chris's Career and His First Published Novels

*Protecting Yourself From Pirating

*Priestcraft Vs. Profit

*eBook Vs. Print Copies

*Finding a Distributor for Self-Published Books

*Challenges in Today's LDS Publishing Market

*Maintaining Your eBook Rights

*Selling Your eBook on Amazon

*Why Use Standard Manuscript Formatting? 

*To Copyright or NOT to Copyright?

*Formal Guidelines of Style

*First Priority: Move Your Audience!

*Realities of Self-Publishing

    --Royalty Splits

    --WalMart and Costco

    --Typesetting

    --Cover Design

    --Backliners and Endorsements

    --Hiring Freelancers: A Few Guidelines

    --Printing Your Book

    --Kill Fees

*The Evolving Environment of the Writing Profession

    --Self Promotion

    --Social Media Marketing/ Establishing a Book-Selling Platform

*Avoid Being a Flash-in-the-Pan Author

*Crossing Book Genres

*Public Domain

Look for the entire www.ForeverLDS.website to receive a dramatic upgrade in upcoming weeks. Oughta be cool!

Stay close to the Lord,

Chris Heimerdinger

Introducing...My New YouTube Channel

Hello Tennis Shoes Fans! 

I'm building a youtube channel for some of the podcasts from www.foreverlds.com, and potentially other things. Only 4 minutes of visuals are up so far, but I posted it anyway. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE! 

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. 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxR0NLbLe2qyqA_eRg5w3LA

And YES, I'm still working on the next novel.

Stay close to the Lord,

Chris Heimerdinger

5th Annual LDS Youth & Family Education Conference

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.... 

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 Passage to Zarahemla 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 http://www.ldshhe.org/2017-conference.html. Bring your books and audiobooks! I'd love to sign every one of them. We look forward to seeing you there!  --Chris Heimerdinger

A Few More Paragraphs from "Thorns of Glory"

 Feb 13, 2017

AN ACTION SCENE FROM TENNIS SHOES ADVENTURE SERIES, VOLUME 13: "THORNS OF GLORY"

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.

The following scene is written from the point of view of Marcos:

Young Commander Moronihah's voice rang like an alarm. "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!"

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!"

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.

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?

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.

The Tarantula Captain's young voice was firm and steady. "Keep firing! Keep firing!"

Atop the wall, I heard one of Moronihah's officers: "Kill every cockroach of Lord Fireborn!"

Cockroaches versus tarantulas—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. 

Addendum to "Changing Paradigms and the Book of Mormon"

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. 

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. 

I highlighted several places in The Book of Mormon where it strongly hints that Lehi's ship dropped anchor in an 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 Jacob Chapter 7. 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.

John Sorenson, PhD beside Olmec Head in 1984

I've since learned that scholars have been pointing out this particular piece of evidence for many decades ago, all the way back to John Sorenson and his seminal work Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, and David Palmer, 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 ForeverLDS 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. 

Dinner/Workshop in Preston Expanded/Post-Dated

The "Dinner with Chris Heimerdinger" in Preston, ID has been moved to Sept. 22 and the Professional Writing Workshop has been expanded to two 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:

"A NIGHT WITH CHRIS HEIMERDINGER" 
PLACE: Kimber Academy in Preston, ID, 17 E. Oneida Avenue
TIME: Thurs., Sept. 22 at 6:00 PM.
COST: $7.50 per person. $20.00 per family (up to 6). $5.00 per person above 6.
FREE PERKS: Dinner (duh!) and a free signed copy of the DVD Passage to Zarahemla
Chris will also autograph and sell copies of some of his other published works. BRING UNSIGNED BOOKS YOU ALREADY OWN TOO!

"PROFESSIONAL WRITING WORKSHOP WITH CHRIS HEIMERDINGER" 
PLACE: Kimber Academy in Preston, ID, 17 E. Oneida Avenue
FIRST CLASS: Thursday, Sept. 29 at 7:00 PM and Friday, Sept. 30 at 11:00 AM
NUMBER OF CLASSES: 8
SCHEDULE: No class last week in October (Hunting Day)
COST: $75.00

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.

For more information call me at 801-870-2070 or Noel Barney of the Preston, ID Kimber Academy at 801-678-9683.

Writing Workshop in Preston, ID...among other UPDATES

WHAT??? You mean there are still some readers who visit FrostCave rather than www.foreverlds.com?? 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.

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).

It kicks off with a DINNER and FIRESIDE humbly called "A Night With Chris Heimerdinger." (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.)

"A NIGHT WITH CHRIS HEIMERDINGER" 
PLACE: Kimber Academy in Preston, ID, 17 E. Oneida Avenue
TIME: Thurs., Sept. 15 at 6:00 PM.
COST: $7.50 per person. $20.00 per family (up to 6). $5.00 per person above 6.
FREE PERKS: Dinner (Duh!) and a free signed copy of the DVD Passage to Zarahemla
Chris will also autograph and sell copies of some of his other published works. BRING UNSIGNED BOOKS YOU ALREADY OWN TOO!

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.

"PROFESSIONAL WRITING WORKSHOP WITH CHRIS HEIMERDINGER" 
PLACE: Kimber Academy in Preston, ID, 17 E. Oneida Avenue
FIRST CLASS: Friday, September 23
TIME: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
NUMBER OF CLASSES: 8
SCHEDULE: No class last week in October (Hunting Day)
COST: $75.00
SPECIAL NOTE: Classes cover a range of topics from Nurturing Ideas, 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 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.

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. RECOMMENDED AGE FOR STUDENTS IS BETWEEN 14 AND 104. (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.

NOW, before anyone starts asking the obvious, such as "WHEN IS THORNS OF GLORY 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 hate 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.

Anyway, the fact is that my Tennis Shoes series is not 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 Thorns of Glory to be the best in the series. You know how sometimes a series gets worse as it goes along? I won't mention any names, like Divergent or anything. (Wait...I said I wasn't gonna mention any...Doggoneit!)  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 best in the series or I'll die trying.)

That's a promise. As to when it'll be released? No promises whatsoever.

But I am hoping to finish the manuscript around the end of the year or shortly thereafter.

Sincerely,
Chris Heimerdinger

Announcing My New Podcast: ForeverLDS.com

Okay, 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 last 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".

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.

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: T.C. Christensen Interview

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 celebrating 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.

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.

Yes, I'm still working daily on Tennis Shoes Volume 13: Thorns of Glory, 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 Podcasts are where it's at right now!

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!

God bless you this holiday season and as always,

Stay close to the Lord,

Chris Heimerdinger