From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #267 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Tuesday, February 27 2001 Volume 01 : Number 267 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2001 19:22:59 -0700 From: "Annette Lyon" Subject: Re: [AML] Linda Paulson ADAMS, _Prodigal Journey_ (Review) D. Michael's review was pretty much on target. The book had the strengths he listed as well as the exact weaknesses that bothered me, too. The biggest one was that Peter's fiance definitely drove me nuts, not because she was such a bad person but because I didn't believe for one second that Peter would really fall for her. She was so transparent. And the miracle scene bothered me, too--which is ironic, since that's the scene that Linda says came to her first, that the book was built around. Although I understand why it's there, I don't think it worked. On the other hand, I wasn't bothered by another one of D. Michael's complaints, that information is given for the reader's benefit w/out showing the scenes earlier as they happen (such as with the knife). One reason it didn't bother me is that we're already talking about a pretty hefty sized book here. The knife issue alone would have taken at least three or four scenes to remedy by D. Michael's standard, and he says there are many more information pieces like it, adding a significant number of pages. It might have been nice to see her buying the knife and mention enrolling in a class for using it, but actually showing all that (especially the class itself) would have made the story drag. I think Linda did a pretty good job getting a lot of information in quickly to keep the pace going so the reader keeps reading. That alone is is a pretty impressive feat, since many readers won't give a book a chance if it's more than an inch thick. And this book is significantly more than an inch thick! Annette Lyon - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2001 20:04:29 -0600 From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] SAMUELSEN, _Three Women_ (Performance) Eric Samuelsen: Our senior discount is available to anyone who can make a plausible case for one. 55 sounds good to me! _______________ So, if I limp and bring a cane ... ? (That *is* what acting is all about, isn't it?) Larry Jackson ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001 00:35:34 -0600 From: Ronn Blankenship Subject: Re: [AML] SAMUELSEN, _Three Women_ (Performance) At 13:16 23-02-01 -0700, you wrote: >The way I usually make a plausible case is to shuffle uncertainly up to >the ticket window and request the ticket in a quavering voice. > >barbara hume I had no idea you could play someone so different from yourself so convincingly. - -- Ronn! :) - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001 00:36:45 -0600 From: Ronn Blankenship Subject: Re: [AML] Directions to AML Scholarly Conference At 12:32 23-02-01 -0700, you wrote: >It's been a whole year - and I'm presenting again - but I can't remember the >directions to the AML conference on saturday! > >anyone have good set of directions from Provo? > >email me at iaw2@email.byu.edu > >--ivan Yes: be careful not to make any wrong turns. As Bob Hope said when guesting on D&M, "Provo is not the end of the world, but you can see the edge from there." - -- Ronn! :) - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001 03:11:36 GMT From: Jeffrey Needle Subject: [AML] Antonio FELIZ, _Out of the Bishop's Closet_ (Review) Review =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Antonio A. Feliz, _Out of the Bishop's Closet, second edition 1992, Alamo Square Press Paperback, 199 pages, $12.95 Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle This may well be the most difficult review I've ever written. And it = must be said at the outset that my reporting of the contents of this boo= k=20 in no way implies an endorsement of these ideas. The blurb on the front cover proclaims this book to be =93The daring=20= Testimony of Faith of a gay Mormon High Priest.=94 I purchased the book= =20 about a year ago at a library book sale, not knowing when I=92d ever get= a=20 chance to read it. My assumption was that it was just another=20 anti-Mormon tract written by a dissatisfied ex-member. As such, it held= =20 minimal interest. But I decided to read it and get it out of the way. I have strong mixed= =20 feelings about this book and its author, and hope to express these=20 feelings in a fair and compassionate way. Antonio (Tony) Feliz is a High Priest in the Church of Jesus Christ of=20= Latter-day Saints. A graduate of BYU, he works for the Church in variou= s=20 capacities including service in the Church Welfare System. He has a=20= lovely wife, three children, a nice home, and a good position in his war= d=20 teaching young people. Oh, he=92s also gay. He knows it. No one else = does. And thus begins his struggle. I=92m not sure what the mechanism is, but it seems that others saw his=20= sexual orientation early on, including one priesthood leader who=20 confronted him directly. Of course, Tony denied the charge, but knew=20= inside himself that he had to finally discover his true identity. After= =20 years of struggle, he extends a business trip to San Francisco and hooks= =20 up with a gay man with whom he has a sexual relationship. In this=20 encounter, he claims to discover who he really is. Now he must face the fact that his entire life is about to change. His = marriage is finished, and of course he must resign his Church callings=20= and his employment with the Church. But he=92s willing (although not=20= happily) to do all this in order to be true to himself. In the process of doing some research in the Church archives, he runs=20= across some information concerning Joseph Smith, Wilford Woodruff, and=20= others, that bothers him. He begins to read the early documents to=20 support the idea that same sex unions can be blessed as well as=20 heterosexual unions. He also reads in the early documents the idea that= =20 women were ordained to priesthood during Joseph Smith=92s years. Both=20= practices were discontinued after Joseph=92s death. He finally leaves his family behind in Utah and moves to California to=20= start his new life. The remainder of the book contains his rather=20 mystical road to self-discovery and peace of mind. His journey leads hi= m=20 to Kansas City, where he is confirmed in both the Roman Catholic and RLD= S=20 Churches, within weeks of each other! Central to Feliz=92s premise is that priesthood authority can be exercis= ed=20 outside the auspices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.= =20 He believes that the endowments he received while in the Church are stil= l=20 with him, and he needs no permission to continue exercising this=20 authority. As he distances himself more and more from the modern-day=20= Church, he finds himself more and more attracted to the raw religion of = the early Joseph Smith days. Readers will find much to dispute in this moving and sometimes-complex=20= narrative. Feliz intertwines his story with lengthy, and sometimes=20 repetitive, journeys into his own psyche. His appeal to New Age-type=20= therapies and indoctrinations left me wondering just where he=92d end up= . =20 He finishes his journey in a metaphysical wonderland of inner journeying= =20 and radical introspection. =20 Issues of gender and sexual orientation continue to challenge Christian = churches. What are they to do with the =93others=94 in their midst? Ho= w=20 does an institution that declares behaviors sinful accommodate those who= =20 find those same behaviors natural? The problem is not unique to=20 Mormonism, and the presence of =93others=94 is very likely understated.= One of my biggest problems with evaluating this book is my complete=20 distance from Feliz. I=92m Anglo, he=92s Hispanic. I=92m straight, he=92= s gay. =20 I=92m a non-Mormon, he=92s Mormon (despite his excommunication, he consi= ders=20 himself =93Mormon=94 in every sense of the word). I had to try to put m= yself=20 in his place, and I was not successful. As I read the book, I reflected more and more on the title, =93Out of th= e=20 Bishop=92s Closet.=94 As he proceeded in his journey, the phrase change= d=20 slightly, but perhaps significantly =96 it became =93Out of MY Bishop=92= s=20 Closet.=94 Was this some acknowledgment that he had placed himself in t= his=20 position, that his homosexuality was a choice on his part, rather than a= n=20 inbred orientation? I don=92t think so, but it at least reflect his=20= growing understanding of the importance of coming to terms with his=20 dilemma and facing it responsibly. One cannot avoid recognizing a deep anger in Feliz, an anger that is yet= =20 to be fully healed. He seems to be well on his way, as he expresses=20= forgiveness toward those who have wronged him, and begs forgiveness from= =20 those he has wronged. But alongside this anger is a peace within himsel= f=20 that he=92s finally living out the life that he feels reflects who he=20= really is. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001 16:49:12 -0700 From: LuAnnStaheli Subject: Re: [AML] LDS Thrillers Brent, Are the other books in the series also set in Payson? I teach at Payson Jr. High and when My Body Fell Off came out I put a copy in my classrom library. The kids LOVED having a book set in their own home town. Someone loved it so much, they stole the book! Oh, well. I just found a replacement copy on ebay and it will go onto the shelf next week. Lu Ann Brobst Staheli - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2001 06:34:33 -0700 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] SAMUELSEN, _Three Women_ (Performance) Barbara Hume wrote: > >Our senior discount is available to anyone who can make a plausible case > >for one. 55 sounds good to me! > > > >Eric Samuelsen > > The way I usually make a plausible case is to shuffle uncertainly up to the > ticket window and request the ticket in a quavering voice. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, before I was even old enough to be a missionary, my girlfriend was flying somewhere. I told her I couldn't make it to the airport to say goodby (a lie). I then put on an Albert Einstein-looking wig, grubby clothes, and shuffled up to her at the airport like some ancient homeless bum looking for a handout. She bought it hook, line and sinker. Maybe I'll try that at the box office. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2001 19:59:50 -0700 From: "Cathy Wilson" Subject: Re: [AML] Apocalyptic LDS Lit Rachel asks: About Pam Blackwell's novel _Ephraim's Seed_. A friend I trust read about 100 pages of it and said the story line wasn't bad. It begins after a great economic cartel has gained control of the world and even the LDS Church in Utah. My friend thought the story went a little slow, however, and it was so full of language errors--nearly every fourth or fifth sentence--that he gave up reading. He couldn't see how the novel was based on scripture, which really annoyed him. Given this recommendation, I'm not likely to pick one up. Can anyone else verify this? I can. . . I had a chance to look at the manuscript and later the finished book. As a recovering apocalyptic :) I don't much like the setting. . .assumptions. . . . conclusions, nor the style much. Pam is a sincere person and I hope the best for her though. Cathy (Gileadi) Wilson Editing Etc. 1400 West 2060 North Helper UT 84526 - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2001 13:40:14 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] Linda Paulson ADAMS, _Prodigal Journey_ (Review) >I'm glad to hear you have a reason for using Christ, and not just >throwing him in for effect or a quick solution to a conversion. That >shows you're a competent author. The problem is, it's not apparent when >the scene happens, so the reader doesn't know if you're being competent >or not. > >One idea I had, and you can decide if this sounds any good or not, is to >downplay who it is during the miracle scene. Oohhhhh..... In my original drafts that's how I DID IT. You don't have to believe me, but it's true. Editors thought the scene would have more impact with more detail. (BOTH publishing houses I worked with.) This is probably the most reworked scene in the book. Everybody wanted to stick their fingers in it, change this or that phrase. Most of the time I said "no" and changed it back to "my way." However, I thought it worked okay with the increased detail, so I made the changes. Originally, she just noticed a scar on his hand and asked why he couldn't fix it if he could heal her completely; he answered simply, "It's very old." And that was it. The scar wasn't described as it is in the published version. It could've been from anything. Stinks to hear it might have worked better my original way! <> Yeah. >I can understand your concern as a first time >author that your book might seem to drag on and you'd want to shorten it >up. Yeah; this stems from a marketing rather than artistic common sense, though. The first publisher I worked with wanted to break if off right as Alyssa collapses at Peter's doorstep (about 450 pgs) to make it shorter. It's a risk for any publisher to print a LONG work by a new author; I'm glad Cornerstone was willing to take it and allow me a more complete ending. >But I hope it's success has given you the confidence to know that >the character you created is interesting enough that the readers _do_ >want to hear about the things she does that reveal facets of her >personality. And mentioning those events (buying the knife, carrying it >with her, fingering it) wouldn't take all that many lines to include >anyway: certainly no more lines than the "Oh by the way" scene used. True, true. I'll watch for these in the next book. Calling attention to it will help me "flag" them so I can go back and fix it. >Volume two will have its own set of requirements based on what the POV >characters know. If they know the name of the church, then you say it >without apology. If they're members, then LDS references abound all over >the place, because that's what the characters know. Yes. I've had some readers tell me I need to give Alyssa a Book of Mormon pretty quick! :-) (It's tongue in cheek, not like the people who call Covenant wanting to know where the Nephite cave is, but still, they're concerned for her eternal welfare!) I'm hoping, with any such elements the book may require, to achieve the honesty of, say, _The Apostle_ as far as presenting what the characters believe. (Now there's a slow-moving film if I ever saw one; but it sticks in your mind afterward like buckwheat pancakes stick to your ribs.) _Saint Maybe_ by Anne Tyler is another excellent example of an honest portrayal of religious belief. >If you write honestly, they won't appear as proselyting to any but those >with a chip on their shoulder--and they'd only be happy if you wrote >anti-church stuff. Writing honestly means you tell what would really >happen based on who the characters are and what the circumstances are, >not based on what would maximally "promote faith." (Personally, I think >the best faith-promoting stories are the honest ones anyway.) >D. Michael Martindale Good points. As always, I appreciate your input. Since my goal in writing has never been "to promote faith," as some other LDS authors seem bent on, I'm hopeful I can come through with that honesty. If your faith is promoted, great. If you lost sleep, had to struggle with tough issues, good, I made you think. But when the goal of telling the story becomes to increase faith, to prove a value, that's when you get cheesy didacticism. Something I strive to avoid. Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001 17:47:01 -0600 From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] MN Mormon News Introduces Bestsellers in LDS Bookstores: Kent Larsen From: Kent Larsen To: Mormon News Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2001 22:00:00 -0500 Subject: MN Mormon News Introduces Bestsellers in LDS Bookstores: Kent Larsen 23Feb01 A4 [From Mormon-News] Mormon News Introduces Bestsellers in LDS Bookstores NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- Trying to fill a void in news about Mormon books, Mormon News today introduces a bestseller list of those books sold in LDS bookstores. The list of 15 books and other LDS products attempts to show which books are selling best in the LDS market. However, the current list is based on information from fewer than 40 stores, a figure we hope to improve on in the near future. Meanwhile, on the national bestseller lists, all the Mormon-related titles stayed on at least one list, except for Sean Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens," which appeared on the lists briefly last week, possibly because of a bulk sale. Most of the titles are slipping on the lists, except for Stephen R. Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," which jumped this past week. The current titles on bestseller lists are: Nothing Like it in the World, by Stephen Ambrose A history of the building of the transcontinental railroad in the US. Ambrose, a highly regarded historian, details the involvement of Mormons in building crucial portions of the road, including the driving of the "golden spike" in the heart of Mormon territory. Currently on the following bestseller lists: This Last List 28 29 Barnes & Noble (Feb 22) Top 100 18 9 BooksAMillion (Feb 22) Non-Fiction Hardcover 12 - Booksense (Feb 22) Non-Fiction Hardcover 13 9 New York Times (Feb 25) Non-Fiction Hardcover [Independents - 9; Chains - 13] The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey This ten-year-old personal management classic is still selling strongly. Currently on the following bestseller lists: This Last List 54 - Amazon.com (Feb 22) Amazon.com 100 25 - Amazon.com (Feb 22) Non-Fiction Paperback 62 62 Barnes & Noble Top (Feb 22) Top 100 96 115 USA Today (Feb 22) 4 5 Wall Street Journal (Feb 16) Business Shadow of the Hegemon, by Orson Scott Card The second novel in Card's new series about Bean, Ender's shadow. In this novel, Bean is the tactical genius who wins the Earth for Ender's brother, Peter, the Hegemon. Currently on the following bestseller lists: This Last List 11 9 Amazon.com (Feb 22) Fiction Hardcover 27 20 New York Times (Feb 25) Fiction Hardcover The Whitechapel Conspiracy, by Anne Perry Perry's Inspector Thomas Pitt returns to 19th-century London for Perry's 20th novel about the detective. Currently on the following bestseller lists: This Last List 23 17 New York Times (Feb 25) Fiction Hardcover [Chains - 20] Bestsellers in LDS Bookstores: 1. Lamb of God (Video) - LDS Church Distribution 2. Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley 3. Teaching by the Spirit by Gene R. Cook 4. Between Husband and Wife: Gospel Perspectives on Marital Intimacy by Stephen E. Lamb & Douglas E. Brinley 5. Teachings from the D&C and Church History (Video) - LDS Church Distribution 6. Legacy (Video) - LDS Church Distribution 7. The Little Book of Big Ideas About Love by Elaine Cannon 8. A Quiet Heart by Patricia T. Holland 9. Revelations of the Restoration: A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants and Other Modern Revelations by Joseph Fielding McConkie and Craig J. Ostler 10. Beginning Reader Book of Mormon - LDS Church Distribution 11. Believing Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News by Stephen E. Robinson 12. Children's Songbook Words and Music (CD) - LDS Church Distribution 13. The Light Within: What the Prophet Joseph Smith Taught Us About Personal Revelation by W. Jeffrey Marsh 14. The Kingdom and the Crown, Vol. 1: Fishers of Men by Gerald N. Lund 15. Story of the Walnut Tree by Don H. Staheli, Illustrated by Robert T. Barrett >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ Send join and remove commands to: majordomo@MormonsToday.com Put appropriate commands in body of the message: To join: subscribe mormon-news To leave: unsubscribe mormon-news To join digest: subscribe mormon-news-digest - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2001 22:01:03 -0700 From: "mjames_laurel" Subject: [AML] UVSC Children & Literature Conference Hello everyone: I've been asked to pass on this information about an upcoming conference to be held at UVSC in late March. I believe the cost is aproximately $90. Some of the presenters include Orson Scott Card, Ruth White (author of Belle Prater's Boy and other books) Chris Crowe, Rick Walton, Louise Plummer, Kristen Randle, and several others. If you'd like more information, e-mail Carol Lynch Williams at carolthewriter@yahoo.com, or see the contact information below. ***** For information on costs and registration, contact > Margie Green at (801) > 377-8750, or by email at: greenma@uvsc.edu > > > Forum on Children and Literature > Thursday, March 29, 2001 > > (This is the tentative schedule) > > 8:15 to 8:45 Registration Check-In and Continental > Breakfast > > 9:00 to 9:15 Opening Nancy Peterson Theater > > 9:15 to 10:15 Keynote Address > The Mystery of Imagination > Zilpha Keatley Snyder > > 10:30 - 11:30 Workshop Session A > 213 B Hopeful Books: Characters Who Do More Than > Survive Kristen Randle > 213 C Creating an Honor Book Bethanne Andersen > theatre Where Do I Get My Ideas? Zilpha Keatley > Snyder > > 11:40 to 12:40 General Session > Imagination Unliited: The 5-Minute a Day Journal > Louise Plummer > > 12:40 to 1:30 Lunch > > 1:15 to 2:00 Book Signing > > 2:10 to 3:10 Workshop Session B > 213 A "An Overview of Balanced Literacy" - Brad > Wilcox > 213 B "The Best of Fact and Fiction for > Intermediate Grades" - Nancy > Livingston > 213 C "Stories Are Everywhere" Rick Walton > > 3:20 - 4:10 General Session: Favorite Picks > Nancy Peterson moderator > > UVSC bookstore - Cathy Rakisits > Read Leaf Bookstore - Margy Layton 489-1390 > BYU Bookstore - Janice Card 378-3730 > UVSC Library - Rama Chamberlin > Orem Library - Pat Bezzant > Stephanie Corrigan - UVSC ext 8587 > > > > Friday, March 30, 2001 > > 8:15 to 8:45 Registration Check-In and Continental > Breakfast > > 9:00 to 9:10 Welcome > > 9:10-10:10 Keynote > Readers & Imagination: Why Children Are Better > Readers Than Adults" - > Orson Scott Card > > 10:20-11:20 Workshop Session C > Creating Fiction from Reality Ruth White > The Birth of a Picture Book Brad Wilcox > 213 C "The Best of the New Books in Children's > Literature" - Pat Bezzant > > 11:30 to 12:30 Workshop Session D > 213 A "Looking for the Silver Lining in Bleak YA > Books" - Chris Crowe > 213 B "Sharing the Experience: Book Clubs for > Children" - Nancy Peterson > 213 C "Writing and Illustrating Children's Books" > - Mark and Caroline > Buehner > > 12:30 to 1:30 Lunch > > 1:15 to 2:00 Book Signing > > 2:10 to 3:10 Workshop Session D > 213 A "The Publishing Game" - Rick Walton > 213 B "What's up with Harry Potter?..." - > Katherine Farmer > theatre "1,000 Ideas an Hour: Helping Your > Students Be Better Writers" > > 3:20 - 4:00 Closing Session > "Imagination from the Past: Identifying Today > with the Young People of > Yesterday" - Ruth White - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 10:06:54 -0700 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] SAMUELSEN, _Three Women_ (Performance) D. Michael wrote: >I'd like to hear the logistics of how you went about getting this >play >produced, including what it was like to do it at the Little Brown >Theater. Three Women was produced about a year ago in a student production at BYU. = The director of that production, Wendi Keller, graduated last spring, and = was subsequently hired by Bill Brown as production manager for the Villa = and Little Brown. The logistics couldn't be easier. Bill asked me if I wanted to do that = show in that space, and I said yes. I can't say enough good things about = what Bill and Marilyn are accomplishing there in Springville. As for the theatre, I love the Little Brown. What a lovely small space. = The only difficult part of the whole experience is that Wendi Keller = absolutely killed herself trying to do two jobs at once. I feel badly = about that; it might have been better if I'd directed the second production= . But I didn't have the time. =20 Eric Samuelsen - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 10:01:40 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] SAMUELSEN, _Three Women_ (Performance) I'm peeking, so how can Samuelson be honest? Just wondering. Anyway, let me tell you that this is one of the best productions we've had at the Villa. We love it. Wendy Keller is a super director. We have hired her full time now at the Villa, and she is really remarkable. A hard worker. Gets in there and does all production things, like climb ladders and hook up lights! Come and see her work with this show. It's a well-written show--makes you think--it's a zinger. Marilyn Brown - ----- Original Message ----- > "Eric R. Samuelsen" wrote: > > > These plays will be performed in the Little Brown Theatre, across the street from the Villa Theatre in Springville UT, 239 S. Main. > > I'd like to hear the logistics of how you went about getting this play > produced, including what it was like to do it at the Little Brown > Theater. > > -- > D. Michael Martindale > dmichael@wwno.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 12:09:05 -0700 From: Scott and Marny Parkin Subject: [AML] BLACKWELL, _Ephraim's Seed_ (was: Apocalyptic LDS Lit) >About Pam Blackwell's novel _Ephraim's Seed_. A friend I trust read about >100 pages of it and said the story line wasn't bad. It begins after a great >economic cartel has gained control of the world and even the LDS Church in >Utah. My friend thought the story went a little slow, however, and it was so >full of language errors--nearly every >fourth or fifth sentence--that he gave up reading. He couldn't see how the >novel was based on scripture, which really annoyed him. Given this >recommendation, I'm not likely to pick one up. Can anyone else verify this? I did a review of this book for the AML-List a couple of years ago and I pretty much panned it. The book is not particularly well-written, it's poorly made and edited, and it bears all the hallmarks of a self-published book. I thought it failed both as Mormon cultural mirror and as science fiction. I thought it didn't live up to the promises it made to the reader. In other words, I didn't think it was a very good book. As for whether I can recommend it...the answer isn't as obvious as it might seem. It's a Mormon apocalyptic thriller (and yes, the pace does pick up about half-way through such that "thriller" actually becomes a fair claim), but I don't like Mormon apocalyptic thrillers--or at least none that I've seen so far. My biggest problem (beyond some weak writing and absolutely terrible physical production) was that the book made some assumptions about Mormon cultural beliefs that I found objectionable and inaccurate. I don't believe the way the book seems to think that I should, and that pushed me outside the ideal audience for the book. But I say all this and more in my AML List review, which is available at http://www.xmission.com/~aml/reviews/b/B199732.html Scott Parkin - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 16:50:34 -0700 From: Barbara Hume Subject: Re: [AML] SAMUELSEN, _Three Women_ (Performance) >>The way I usually make a plausible case is to shuffle uncertainly up to >>the ticket window and request the ticket in a quavering voice. >>barbara hume >I had no idea you could play someone so different from yourself so >convincingly. >-- Ronn! :) And I had no idea you could be so gallant! barbara >- >AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature >http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 17:04:48 -0700 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] BLACKWELL, _Ephraim's Seed_ (was: Apocalyptic LDS Lit) Scott and Marny Parkin wrote: > My biggest problem (beyond some weak writing and absolutely terrible > physical production) was that the book made some assumptions about > Mormon cultural beliefs that I found objectionable and inaccurate. Was there no attempt to explain the assumptions, or did the author seem to assume that all Mormons would share her ideas? The reason I ask is that I'm working on a Mormon apocalyptic screenplay, where I attempt to explain the assumptions I make within a Mormon context, which I hope will provide enough of an explanation to allow for a successful and willful suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader. Thom - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 19:34:44 -0700 From: "Brent J. Rowley" Subject: Re: [AML] LDS Thrillers LuAnnStaheli wrote: > Are the other books in the [Light Traveler Adventure] series also set in Payson? I > teach at Payson Jr. High > and when _My Body Fell Off!_ came out I put a copy in my classrom library. The > kids > LOVED having a book set in their own home town. Someone loved it so much, they > stole the book! Book Two (Silver Hawk's Revenge) starts in Orem and works its way across the US, with some significant action in Who-Knows-Where, Colorado, and ultimately ending in the Caribbean portion of the Bermuda Triangle, near Puerto Rico. No Payson action ... Sorry. Book Three (Missing Children) takes place mostly in Provo/Orem and BYU, with some action in San Antonio, Texas, and the grand finale in downtown Salt Lake City. Hey, I've got to spread the wealth, don't you agree? > Oh, well. I just found a replacement copy on ebay and it will go > onto the shelf next week. On E-Bay?!! Oh, I'm hurt. Crushed. You sure it wasn't Amazon or B&N? Latter-Day Harvest, maybe? Gosh -- I can't believe any right-thinking individual would actually part with their very own copy -- on E-BAY!!! (sob) Oh well. I'm glad you at least found a replacement. - -BJ Rowley - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 17:15:58 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] DUTCHER, _Brigham City_ >>If any of you hear of "Brigham City" coming to Washington state, would you >>please send me a note? You can e-mail me personally at >>schoong@sprintmail.com if necessary. >Quite a few more theaters than showed "GA" have signed on to show "BC." >The current list is at http://www.brighamcitymovie.com/theaters.html . It >will undoubtedly expand to other cities after its initial release, >assuming it does well enough at the box office. > >Eric D. Snider Chiming in late as usual-- If you go out to the website, you can sign on for a mailing list they have that will keep you posted on theaters coming to your area. This worked for us for _God's Army_ coming to the Kansas City area, and we're signed up again for updates on this one. In our area the initial 2-show booking was extended several weeks due to good turnout. We also got free sneak preview tickets for being on the mailing list--I don't know if they'll do that again, but it was very nice! A free first-run movie, and Mormon besides, who can beat that? Linda - ---------- Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 22:01:15 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] Linda Paulson ADAMS, _Prodigal Journey_ (Review) Annette, thank you. At 08:22 PM 2/23/01, you wrote: >D. Michael's review was pretty much on target. The book had the strengths he >listed as well as the exact weaknesses that bothered me, too. The biggest >one was that Peter's fiance definitely drove me nuts, not because she was >such a bad person but because I didn't believe for one second that Peter >would really fall for her. She was so transparent. And the miracle scene >bothered me, too--which is ironic, since that's the scene that Linda says >came to her first, that the book was built around. Although I understand why >it's there, I don't think it worked. I'm curious, would you like to put into words why it didn't work for you? What bothered you about it, exactly? This is the one part of the book I find people either love or hate. I'm very interested in finding out what I could have done better. Also with Jackie (Peter's fiance), was she transparent because the reader mostly saw her in her natural element--without Peter--and not enough with him (except when they argued)? I'd like to know how I could have improved her also. I don't think I illustrated the contrast I saw in her behavior as well as I could have. She was a very different person around him, hiding her bad habits/sins very well. (Again, doing so would have added pages and pages and pages; I skipped the fluffy romance-budding stuff and cut to the conflict.) I saw Peter as a rescuer--pre-programmed to "rescue" girls that remind him in some way of his first love, Alyssa. Maybe it's like the knife element D. Michael brought up. I'm guessing this section of the book may have needed scenes that weren't written in, but which happened; for example, Peter's clear answer to prayer that he should propose to Jackie (which later changed, confusing him, so he doggedly pressed on with it despite uncertainty). Anyway, if you'd like to elaborate, I'd very much like to listen. This is the kind of commentary I've been waiting for, actually, which I haven't had much of. It will help me improve on future books to know where this one wasn't working. (I'm very much aware this is my first novel, and I'll probably look back on it later and wonder how it even got in print in the condition it was in.) Hearing "I loved it!" might pat me on the back, but it doesn't do much for improving my craft! Thanks! Linda ======= Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 00:21:10 -0700 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Linda Paulson ADAMS, _Prodigal Journey_ (Review) Annette Lyon wrote: > On the other hand, I wasn't bothered by another one of D. Michael's > complaints, that information is given for the reader's benefit w/out showing > the scenes earlier as they happen (such as with the knife). One reason it > didn't bother me is that we're already talking about a pretty hefty sized > book here. The knife issue alone would have taken at least three or four > scenes to remedy by D. Michael's standard, and he says there are many more > information pieces like it, adding a significant number of pages. Not so. It didn't need to take any more lines than what the current approach took. The information only needed to be reported when it happened. I wasn't asking for long, drawn-out scenes showing the events live. > That alone is is a pretty impressive feat, since many readers won't > give a book a chance if it's more than an inch thick. And this book is > significantly more than an inch thick! The question to ask yourself is, how bad do you want to reach the audience who chooses their books based on how thin they are? If I'm not enjoying a book, comic book thickness is too long. If I am enjoying it, I want it to go on forever. I'm drawn to thick books. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 00:46:27 -0700 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Linda Paulson ADAMS, _Prodigal Journey_ (Review) Linda Adams wrote: > Editors thought the scene would have more impact with more > detail. (BOTH publishing houses I worked with.) Ah, but Alyssa was rather out of it at the time, so not showing a lot of detail would have been true to the POV. >This is probably the most reworked scene in the book. Miracle scenes are tough scenes to write. When critics said negative things about _God's Army_, what scene did many of them talk about? The miracle scene. > Everybody wanted to stick their fingers in it, > change this or that phrase. Most of the time I said "no" and changed it > back to "my way." Good on you. > Originally, she just noticed a scar on his hand and asked why he couldn't > fix it if he could heal her completely; he answered simply, "It's very > old." And that was it. The scar wasn't described as it is in the published > version. It could've been from anything. This may have worked for me--maybe. It's too late to tell now. > Stinks to hear it might have worked better my original way! Now, it can't entirely stink to know you were right all along. > _The Apostle_ ... (Now there's a slow-moving film if I ever saw one; but it sticks > in your mind afterward like buckwheat pancakes stick to your ribs.) One of those great slow-moving films. A film that immerses you in a world you're not familiar with. I was listening to the soundtrack CD of _Conan the Barbarian_ today. That film really gets to me. Not because the story doesn't have a lot of problems--it does. But because the film immerses you in that fantasy world so completely--and the music has a lot to do with it. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #267 ******************************