From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #300 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 Friday, April 13 2001 Volume 01 : Number 300 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 11:43:08 -0600 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: [AML] Newsweek Item on Mormon Fiction I bought a day pass to the Newsweek archive today for work, but while I have it I'm punching in other searches of possible interest. I found the following. Anyone remember it? It's short enough that I hope the moderator will let it through under "fair use" copyright. [MOD: I'm not sure what I'm allowing it through under, but I'm allowing it through...] May 24, 1993 MORMON FICTION GROWS UP Page: 8 THE PLOT OF "SECRETS," A new novel by Blaine Yorgason and Sunny Oaks, goes something like this: a Mormon clergyman learns that a member of his congregation is incestuously assaulting his three daughters. The minister later discovers other instances of child abuse. Then he finds out that his own wife has a terrible secret--she, too, was molested as a child. So what? This stuff is on talk shows and soap operas all the time. But until recently, contemporary issues have rarely been the subject of Mormon fiction. Mormon writers now publish books about real-world problems--adultery, drug addiction, teenage gangs--that were taboo in the not-too-distant past. "We're seeing novelists who bring real grit, depth and characterization to their material," says Sheri Dew, publishing director of Deseret Book in Salt Lake City. How far will the trend go? Explicit sex scenes? Profanity? Violence? Probably never. Plots aren't the only element of Mormon publishing that have become more sophisticated. The books have a slicker look (left), some mainstream book chains now carry them and sales have been rising. Even for Mormons, profit is never taboo. Section: NEWSWEEK FOCUS (BOOKS IN THE NEWS) Copyright (c) 1993 Newsweek, Inc. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 12:54:44 -0600 From: Terry L Jeffress Subject: [AML] Review Archive Update I hadn't realized how long I had let the reviews accumulate. I haven't updated the archive since the beginning of January. So here's the recent reviews now available in the review archive: 413 The Freedom Factor by Gerald Lund 414 Disoriented by Michael Ritchey 415 The Big KSL Holiday Broadcast 416 Joyful Noise by Tim Solver 417 One More River to Cross by Margaret Blair Young 418 Preexistence to the Promised Land 419 Prodigal Journey by Linda Paulson Adams 420 Out of the Bishop's Closet by Antonio A. Feliz 421 Segundo by Jane Tilton 422 Angel of the Danube by Alan Rex Mitchell 423 My Body Fell Off! by Brent J. Rowley 424 The Jaxon Files by Tony Markham 425 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card 426 Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card 427 Disoriented by Michael Ritchey 428 Organize My Kingdom by John A. Tvedtnes 429 Brigham City by Richard Dutcher 430 Brigham City by Richard Dutcher 431 Brigham City by Richard Dutcher 432 Brigham City by Richard Dutcher 433 Expecting Adam by Martha Beck 434 Expecting Adam by Martha Beck And now for some stats: Most prolific reviewers - ------------------------------- 55 Jeff Needle 12.7% 28 R. W. Rasband 6.5 28 Harlow S. Clark 6.5 20 D. Michael Martindale 4.6 14 Katie Parker 3.2 14 Andrew R Hall 3.2 11 Benson Parkinson 2.5 10 Melissa Proffitt 2.3 Most reviewed authors/creators - ------------------------------ 31 Orson Scott Card 10 Margaret Blair Young 09 Benson Y. Parkinson 08 Dean Hughes 07 Gerald N. Lund 06 Steven Perry 06 Sherrie Johnson 06 Richard Dutcher 06 Marvin Payne 06 James Arrington 06 Eugene England Most reviewed publishers (by imprint) - ------------------------------------- 99 Deseret Book 22.8% 50 Signature Books 11.5 32 Bookcraft 7.4 26 Covenant 6.0 22 Aspen Books 5.1 15 Tor 3.5 14 Shadow Mountain 3.2 146 All Deseret Book Imprints (includes 1 Eagle Gate title) 33.6% So far we have produced 35 reviews this year. If we keep reviewing at this rate, we will have added more than 120 reviews to the archive this year. A new record and well in excess of the challenge goal I set in my last update. Just in case you might not know about the AML Review Archive, you can find it as part of the AML Website at: http://www.xmission.com/~aml/reviews/index.html Good reading. Good reviewing. - -- Terry Jeffress | A creative writer must study carefully the | works of his rivals, including the AML Webmaster and | Almighty. -- Vladimir Nabokov AML-List Review Archivist | - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 13:44:17 -0700 From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] Humor--Where Did This Originate? In getting caught up on my back e-mail I found a piece forwarded by Eric Snider from Tue, 13 Mar 2001. He wondered who wrote it: > Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road? > (According to a poll of LDS members) I don't know who wrote this, but they left out a bunch of people. Bo Gritz: That's not an appropriate question in a temple recommend interview, and if you think it is, you can remove my name from the records of the church. MarthaJohn Beckandcall: To apologize to all the people it taught on its mission Hollow Cluck: This reminds me of a story Jeff Acerson told in a Lindon city council meeting about some teenage boys who were climbing over the fence into a duck pond to catch the ducks for a midnight roast, and they got caught because there had been some burglaries in the area and the police saw these boys with something under their coats, and stopped them, so I guess the chicken crossed the road because it was hitchhiking under some kid's coat, but, like that poor Stinky Cheese Man on the Wolf's snout it didn't realize the boy just wanted a good meal--oh, wait, that's the wrong story, the Stinky Cheese Man smelt so bad (hey, smelts taste pretty good) that no one wanted to eat him. D'mikey "Martin" Dell: I think I'd agree with Hollow Cluck if I could figure out what he was saying. Lynnie Mar Prattleson: It's so exciting to see these chickens crossing the road! We need to encourage young chickens. Some day we're going to road crossers that even Gnu York can't ignore!! Thom ("Dunkin'") Donut: Basically, a chicken has a right to say anything it wants in a story about crossing the road, whether it's historically accurate or not. Maggie Jung: She was heading to El Salvador to get away from her husband, but the road was too wide to cross, and a Gordian Angle brought her back home, convincing the chicken her husband wasn't all that bad. Jeff Hayneedlestack: To get to Deseret Industries, because it wanted to find and review the latest out of print Mormon books. Robert Gnu Well, author of World Hiss-story for Ladder-day Snakes: Einar Erickson says this was a Jewish chicken on its way to a meeting where it was decided not to try and return to the Holy Land to rebuild the Temple. Because of this decision the chicken eventually ended up in Hitler's oven. Renato Ri(Stopand)go: To get to a library so it could improve its English and write charming aphoristic comments for the Association for Chicken Letters e-mail discussion group. Eric "Ratings from the Chicken Movie Rating Board are Irrelevant" Shmuel's Son: At the National Road Crossing Festival at Lynn Cohen Center, BY Zoo's road crossers kick butt. Rex "Former Buffalo but now Dinosaur" Goode: Is road crossing genetic? BTW, have you read _The Silence of the Chickens?_ a work of breathtaking compassion. Joe Nathan Lange Ford: Folks, let's keep the discussion focused on the literary aspects of road crossing. The politics of road-building and whether playing chicken is prudent are only on-topic insofar as they affect the way we tell stories about chickens and roads. Rikki "Puppetmaster" Juhanninpoikka: The chicken was a Husband, Father, Grandfather, Puppeteer, Playwright, Writer, Director, Actor, Thingmaker, Mormon and Fool, but thought at that moment that Road Crosser was the most important persona. Steven Chickenfeatherinthekapp Perry: He was trying to get to Utah before Angela took off with another member of his handcart company. Ericka Sniderthanthou: This sequel is just another attempt to milk a once popular children's TV program. Cathy (Music Woman) Wilson: Still, I can hardly hear a chicken cluck without going into catatonia--this after, what, almost 25 years of little kids and babies chasing chickens across the road. I used to wonder if I should just dash a little chicken fat on my shirt at the beginning of the meal, just to get it over with :), but I don't eat chickens anymore. Some of my children do though. Hollow Cluck: Shouldn't that be, "I can hardly hear a chicken cluck without going into chickentonia?" Ivan (Who'safraidofvirginia) Woolf: The fiddler in my band Oregon Hick Greens just won the PIV playwrighting contest with a musical about chickens in the road. Raquel (Writesuntil) Noonish: I recommend wearing a modest bathrobe when chasing chickens across roads. I've trained my children to help, which leaves me with plenty of time to write novels about Chickens on the Run. Lynnie (kookie&ookiealtogetherspookie) Addams: Raquel, how do you do it? I've tried to give my kids chores and they just don't care--even if I say they can't go out and play till they've gathered up the chickens. I'd say more about it, but I've got to go work on the 2nd volume of my Prodigal Chicken Chronicles. Jakob (Angel Wrestler) Prophit: You can't just take away your children's priveleges when they won't help keep the chickens out of the road. Children have a great capacity to withdraw from things and they'll just end up hating you. Try putting your kids in the chicken pen with a shovel for 5 minutes. Orson Scotchguard: We shouldn't criticize the chicken for crossing the road. He thought the government was telling the truth when it said road crossing was important to our nation's future, and acted in good faith. Scott Tarbaby: Come on down to the Little Brown Theatre and see how we handled that part of the story. Sharleeglencanyondam: Let me second that invitation. Scott cast girls who are actually the ages of teenaged chickens in _The Diary of a Chicken Frank_. It was a good choice. Sure, they don't have the life experience of older actors, but they can portray chickens their own ages with authentic passion. I think there are probably more results in this poll if we could find them. I wouldn't mind tabulating the results. Of course there are questions of how the poll was conducted. If you don't have a good random sample you may not get a clear picture of what Marmots think about chickens and roads, but from what I've read Marmots are a pretty diverse group, and there may not be such a thing as the average Marmot opinion on chickens or roads. Harlow S. Clark ________________________________________________________________ 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: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 14:12:44 -0600 From: Eileen Stringer Subject: Re: [AML] BECK, _Expecting Adam_ (Review) "D. Michael Martindale" wrote: > Haven't read the book, but I've read all your comments about it. Sure > sounds like Beck writes well. But so what? She also apparently writes > viciously, dishonestly, with no eye toward telling the truth but merely > justifying herself to the world. Thom Duncan wrote: >How do you know she's dishonest unless your read it. It's been my >experience that active Mormons have a tough time excepting criticism of >their religion. They tend to immediately discount it, or to assign an >evil intention to the person doing the critiquing. How many active Mormons are there and how many of them have a tough time accepting criticism of their religion? Why is it hard for them to accept this criticism? Is it the criticism honest? What is the author criticizing - silly culture quirks or fundamental beliefs and principles? Is it mean-spirited or is it done with "affection"? Why should the author be spared any fire when the author chooses to fire upon part of the audience? I can and do expect criticism of the flaws, weaknesses, etc of myself culture, etc. It is much easier to swallow when it is done with honesty and even some affection. In reality, however, I cannot really think of many peoples, cultures, races, religions, corporations, etc. that accept criticism all that graciously, deserved or not. I frankly no longer wish to be lumped in with all these intolerant active Mormons referenced above. I must lead a very charmed life, but I have yet to have any Mormon, "active" or not tell me what I should or should not read because the person that wrote it was this, that or the other or did this, that or the other. I grew up in a home with very "active" parents who were reared by very "active" parents, and we were never, ever told what we should or should not read, furthermore, the bookshelves in our home were lined with books by many different peoples, faiths, etc. One of the major things I learned was that there can be some very well-written "piffle" out there or at least what seemed to be piffle to me. I also learned that everyone has the right to express themselves in print anyway they choose to, however I do not have to choose to like it or even to agree with. My dislike or disagreement of a particular bit of writing, that does not necessarily make me intolerant of that author. I love being told a story, and as long as it is told well and is honest I "enjoy" it, regardless the subject matter - and some stories can be very painful to experience. I like a story that changes my way of looking at life, puts me in another person's skin and lets me walk around. The stories that have had the most impact on me are definitely the ones that have helped me examine life, my life, and the way I look at life. I do encourage those stories that help me look at myself and my culture - Mormon, American, Female, Single, Working, Childless, etc. with new eyes. I do not care what the author has done in a past life or present life if their writing is good, they are honest in their writing and they are not patronizing, condescending or manipulative. Specific to our list and literary concerns, I have read some very good writing from authors within our community and culture. I have been touched and changed by much of it. Some of it I did not like, some was not my taste, some I violently disagreed with, some made me very uncomfortable. I have also read some things that I thought were mean-spirited and dishonest. I love the gospel, personally have no axe to grind with the church or the culture, and strive, often with faltering steps, to live my life in adherence to the principles and ordinances of the gospel. I joined this group because I love literature and lives because I want to do what I can to see us advance in the literary arts. I sincerely applaud the efforts we have "all" made. We have come far and are gathering momentum. I, for myself, however do not think we can achieve greatness through dishonest, mean-spirited, self-absorbed writing or an intolerance for ourselves or our audience. We need to stop perceiving ourselves as kooks and allowing ourselves to be seen as abberations. We have among us an Amy Tan, a Victor Hugo, a Jane Austen, a Shakespeare, a Beethoven, etc. Our audience awaits us. Eileen Stringer eileens99@bigplanet.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 14:57:08 -0600 From: Steve Subject: Re: [AML] BECK, _Expecting Adam_ (Review) on 4/10/01 11:49 PM, D. Michael Martindale at dmichael@wwno.com wrote: > I think my time would be better > served reading something more honest. I thought the book well worth my time in spite of my small periodic disagreements with Martha's representation of her perceptions of being raised LDS. But they were her perceptions. I can only state that many of my own perceptions and my own experience are different than hers. But if I only wanted to read my own perceptions I'd just reread my journal. I was a schoolmate of both Martha and her husband John. I love them and basically think they are wonderful (which of course has no application to the quality of the literature they generate and no relation to their current level of commitment to the gospel), and was glad I'd read the book. I think I learned a lot from it. Steve ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Steven Kapp Perry, songwriter and playwright http://www.stevenkappperry.com http://www.playwrightscircle.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 20:11:16 -0400 From: Richard Johnson Subject: Re: [AML] Irreantum Content At 07:21 PM 4/10/2001 -0700, you wrote: >--- Scott and Marny Parkin >wrote: >> So what did everyone think of the rest of >> Irreantum--the stories, the >> essays, the editorial? Any comments? >> >> Marny Parkin >> Sigh, I didn't get mine. My fault not yours. When I renewed my membership in AML last fall I sent the wrong check (MCI, about fifty bucks) You people politely returned the check to me with a note. MCI just cashed the check that was written to AML, gave me credit for a partial payment and went on with their business. By the time I got your (my) check back, it was the next month, and and it got moved to a different pile, and I never got around to writing a new one till last month. Shooot (now there's a Mormonism for you) Next time that happens, you might consider just depositing the check ( unless it is for hundreds of dollars, of course) > Richard B. Johnson Husband, Father, Grandfather, Puppeteer, Playwright, Writer, Director, Actor, Thingmaker, Mormon, Person, Fool I sometimes think that the last persona is the most important http://www2.gasou.edu/commarts/puppet/ Georgia Southern University Puppet Theatre - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 18:40:45 -0600 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: Re: [AML] Doug and Donlu Thayer Sharlee Glenn wrote: > _In the Mind's Eye_? Was this the murder mystery Donlu wrote? If so, I > read it several years ago and thought it was quite good. Better as a > character study than as a murder mystery though. Wasn't it going to be the > first in a series? No one has answered my question yet. Has anyone else read _In the Mind's Eye_? Harlow? Marilyn? Jeff? Did Donlu ever write any other Minnetonka Howard books? (Wasn't that the name of her protagonist? I hope I'm thinking of the right book here.) Just curious-- Sharlee Glenn glennsj@inet-1.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 00:17:24 -0700 From: Ronn Blankenship Subject: Re: [AML] Richard DUTCHER, _Brigham City_ (REVIEW) At 10:34 AM 4/9/01 -0600, Thom Duncan wrote: >Richard does a great >service by showing that Mormons aren't weird, Present company excluded, perhaps . . . ;-) - -- Ronn! :) - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 01:58:00 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] BECK, _Expecting Adam_ (Review) Thom Duncan wrote: > How do you know she's dishonest unless your read it. I don't. But because there are a bajillion books in the world I'd like to read, and I only have the span of a single human life to read them, I have to pick and choose what I read based on educated guesses. When everyone who has read the book says the same thing about it, I think I'm working off a pretty educated guess. I've already heard plenty of criticism toward the church. I don't feel like reading more would be worth the time--not unless something more useful can be gained in the process. From the descriptions, which said that the pluses to the book are good writing and coming to understand Down Syndrome kids, I didn't feel like, for me, the pluses made the negatives worth the time. > How honest is it to NOT read a book based on how you THINK you'll react? Completely honest, simply because I haven't the time to read everything I'd like, so I have to be choosy. Talk to me in the next life, when I have eternity available, and maybe I'll read it then. I'm open to reconsideration, if someone I respect gives me a good reason to reconsider. But I can read about Down Syndrome kids and get good humor elsewhere, without reading about how Mormons and Harvard intellectuals are blithering idiots. - -- 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: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 14:27:55 +0000 From: maryjanejones@att.net Subject: Re: [AML] Richard DUTCHER, _Brigham City_ (REVIEW) >Dutcher is a rarity: an artist who also knows how to >market well. Usually it takes a partnership--an artist >and a marketer--because the traits necessary for either >occupation tend to be incompatible with the other. Richard Dutcher is a remarkable artist, no question. I'd also like to point out that he hasn't marketed this movie alone. Excel Entertainment Group has been behind him, partnering in the effort and pushing his films from the beginning. Without Excel, Richard is smart enough that he probably could have found someone else to market for him, or he could have done it himself, but I really believe that Excel has made a huge contribution to the success of Richard's movies--they've taken risks and worked hard to see these films succeed. Mary Jane Jones Proud Media Relations Director, Excel Entertainment Group - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 01:59:51 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] God's Army (was: On Stage...) Thom Duncan wrote: > Haven't seen that yet, but I remember the Billy Bob Thornton's > conversion scene in "The Apostle." Wonderful. Entirely within the > context. Very moving. Very moving, yes. And non-miraculous, so it's not a good comparison. The healing scene in "Leap of Faith" _was_ miraculous, in approximately the same was the scene in "God's Army" was. - -- 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: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 11:06:27 -0600 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] BECK, _Expecting Adam_ (Review) Hey, Thom, it looks like "Brown" wrote ALL of those comments, and I wrote only the first one. Careful. Okay? Me, Marilyn, who has not read the book, but is certainly willing to give it a go. Marilyn Brown - ----- Original Message ----- From: Thom Duncan > "D. Michael Martindale" wrote: > > > > Brown wrote: > > > [snip] - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 14:47:43 -0400 From: "Debra L. Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Richard DUTCHER, _Brigham City_ (REVIEW) and showing missionaries on the toilet with other missionaries taking pictures isn't weird? (which my just returned missionary daughter thought I was making up till her roommate told her that the elders were showing the Sister missionaries his photo album with pics of them on the toilet) Debbie Brown - ----- Original Message ----- From: Ronn Blankenship To: Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 3:17 AM Subject: Re: [AML] Richard DUTCHER, _Brigham City_ (REVIEW) > At 10:34 AM 4/9/01 -0600, Thom Duncan wrote: > >Richard does a great > >service by showing that Mormons aren't weird, > > > > Present company excluded, perhaps . . . > > ;-) > > > -- Ronn! :) > > > > > > > - > 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: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 13:23:10 -0600 From: "Morgan Adair" Subject: Re: [AML] BECK, _Expecting Adam_ (Review) >>> dmichael@wwno.com 04/12/01 01:58AM >>> > >I'm open to reconsideration, if someone I respect gives me a good reason >to reconsider. But I can read about Down Syndrome kids and get good >humor elsewhere, without reading about how Mormons and Harvard >intellectuals are blithering idiots. I don't know if you respect my opinion or not, but I'll give it anyway. My = wife read the book and passed it to me to read the parts that talked about = the Nibley household. I took a couple classes from Hugh, and find him to = be a fascinating person. Beck's descriptions of what it was like growing = up a daughter of Hugh Nibley rang true to my impressions of him. She = described a home where ideas and critical thinking were valued above = everything, including basic hygeine. Her tone was warm and humorous, = without a trace of criticism. I would recommend the book on the basis of = the parts that I read, alone, and intend to read the entire book soon. MBA - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 13:40:56 -0700 From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] Doug and Donlu Thayer On Wed, 11 Apr 2001 18:40:45 -0600 "Sharlee Glenn" writes: > Sharlee Glenn wrote: > > > _In the Mind's Eye_? Was this the murder mystery Donlu wrote? If so, I > > read it several years ago and thought it was quite good. Better as a > > character study than as a murder mystery though. Wasn't it going to be > > the first in a series? > > No one has answered my question yet. Has anyone else read _In the > Mind's Eye_? Harlow? Marilyn? Jeff? Sharlee, I was just looking at your question yesterday and haven't replied. I wrote about In the Critical Matters column, 20-AUG-1996, "In Which the Detective, Lacking in Wisdom, Asks of God." I was writing about murder mysteries--M. Scott Peck's _A Bed by the Window_, Robert Kirby's _Brigham's Bees_, _In the Mind's Eye_, Bela Petsco's _The Blackness of the Darkness_, and a mention of Jack Weyland's _On the Run_. I would now add Louis Owens' terrific _The Sharpest Sight_, which includes astral projection, the detective's grandfather's ghost who keeps popping up in the back of his patrol car and is helping the murder victim through her grief at having been murdered, and an encounter between the Choctaw and Catholic afterlives. (I just ordered it, and the sequel through the bookmobile's interlibrary loan, so expect a review--state library made a mistake though and sent The Sharpest Sight to PG Lib instead of to me. _Bone Game_ hasn't arrived yet--Ah the joys of browsing UVSC's shelves.) Here's what I had to say about _In the Mind's Eye_: In Donlu Thayer's _In the Mind's Eye_, (Aspen 1992) faith also plays a part in solving the mystery. Minnetonka Howard, trying to deal with the emotional abuse her brother-in-law heaps upon her for a remark at Thanksgiving dinner, reflects on the Idaho caves she is named for, on how she feels empty like a cave, hollow and full of darkness, feels her remark was somehow to blame for the murder of a young girl and the disappearance of her brother. The first 90 pages are taken up describing her mental state, her sense of caving in upon herself. When a childhood friend shows up and introduces Minnie to a man she has met in her travels the novel turns outward, and the landscape of southern Utah becomes important, almost a character. The starkness of the landscape has in some ways become Minnie's metaphor for herself, but as she begins to turn outward, the landscape gains great beauty. Minnie has been a widow of thirty-odd years, since her husband died of cancer in his early 20's, and now she turns from her widowhood and opens herself not only to the love of a new man, but of God as well. The desert she has felt herself to be begins to blossom, the cave of herself becomes a vessel waiting and wanting to be filled with love, and to give of that new love. In one scene, as Minnie and the others are searching for her brother they stop at a rest area where Minnie's parents used let the children out to play. One of the party suggests kneeling to pray and find out where the brother is. Cheating to have the detective ask of God? Thayer handles the novel so skillfully that we accept the prayer, and the answer that comes. If we've been reading carefully, we already know. > Did Donlu ever write any other Minnetonka Howard books? (Wasn't > that the name of her protagonist? I hope I'm thinking of the right book > here.) Yes, she was hoping to write more. I asked her once (eager fan) and she said she just hasn't yet. I hope she still will. We could use a few more serial detectives. I think she and Pat Pelisie said at the AML meeting a few years ago that they had written some thrillers together. I'd like to see them published. They published a novel together as Evangeline Ivers, _The Wall_, but I haven't read it yet, or seen it reviewed. Pat's son Marc was one of my students for a couple of days and told me there's a lot of symbolism in the book. Harlow Clark ________________________________________________________________ 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: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 14:14:59 -0600 From: "Tyler Moulton" Subject: [AML] Publisher's Weekly Article on LDS Publishing Here's an article from Publisher's Weekly (March 26, 2001) about the = current state of LDS publishing. Go to the link and click on "Mormon Publishing Comes Into Its Own."=20 http://www.publishersweekly.com/index_articles/20010404_95094.asp=20 I think everyone here will be interested to read through it, and I hope it = will generate some good discussion. Tyler >>> Christopher Bigelow 04/11 11:43 AM = >>> I bought a day pass to the Newsweek archive today for work, but while I = have it I'm punching in other searches of possible interest. I found the following. Anyone remember it? It's short enough that I hope = the moderator will let it through under "fair use" copyright. [MOD: I'm not sure what I'm allowing it through under, but I'm allowing = it=20 through...] May 24, 1993=20 MORMON FICTION GROWS UP=20 Page: 8 THE PLOT OF "SECRETS," A new novel by Blaine Yorgason and Sunny Oaks, goes something like this: a Mormon clergyman learns that a member of his congregation is incestuously assaulting his three daughters. The minister later discovers other instances of child abuse. Then he finds out that his own wife has a terrible secret--she, too, was molested as a child.=20 So what? This stuff is on talk shows and soap operas all the time. But = until recently, contemporary issues have rarely been the subject of Mormon fiction. Mormon writers now publish books about real-world problems--adultery, drug addiction, teenage gangs--that were taboo in the not-too-distant past. "We're seeing novelists who bring real grit, depth = and characterization to their material," says Sheri Dew, publishing director = of Deseret Book in Salt Lake City. How far will the trend go? Explicit sex scenes? Profanity? Violence? Probably never.=20 Plots aren't the only element of Mormon publishing that have become more sophisticated. The books have a slicker look (left), some mainstream book chains now carry them and sales have been rising. Even for Mormons, profit is never taboo.=20 Section: NEWSWEEK FOCUS (BOOKS IN THE NEWS) Copyright (c) 1993 Newsweek, Inc.=20 - - 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: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 14:55:46 -0600 From: Barbara Hume Subject: Re: [AML] Humor--Where Did This Originate? > > Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road? > > (According to a poll of LDS members) > >I don't know who wrote this, but they left out a bunch of people. LOL! It's kinda scary to find out that someone pays that close attention to the kind of drivel--um, material you tend to post to a mailing list. barbara hume - - 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 #300 ******************************