tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12681407101155338202024-03-12T17:51:13.663-06:00my writer's lairone writer's journeyHeather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.comBlogger404125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-40956681137057273442023-10-10T14:43:00.003-06:002023-10-10T14:43:25.099-06:00Under the Java Moon: now available<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrklwMjg1aXhoBviVmMY8bPCzfzl7EeCssGoM0BVhVKbLLdZw5WhrLRoD78GdnsDTFw_pqJcJXhfFfJr5vrR4fSS8KPLYRuar2dQ2aN5F0ltUp955ytw8DGO_En0JCqUKY48Dv-LzRd_GqPxThsRLSXHSbff14STU0M7MvfBjW5xJ1ZsOMzY5I-eoMP4/s4032/Heather%20and%20Marie%20Aug%202021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrklwMjg1aXhoBviVmMY8bPCzfzl7EeCssGoM0BVhVKbLLdZw5WhrLRoD78GdnsDTFw_pqJcJXhfFfJr5vrR4fSS8KPLYRuar2dQ2aN5F0ltUp955ytw8DGO_En0JCqUKY48Dv-LzRd_GqPxThsRLSXHSbff14STU0M7MvfBjW5xJ1ZsOMzY5I-eoMP4/w400-h300/Heather%20and%20Marie%20Aug%202021.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Photo: Heather & Marie Vischer Elliott (Rita), Aug 2021 </i><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In August 2021, I had the privilege of meeting Marie (Rita) Vischer Elliott for the first time when she traveled to my home state. My husband and I visited with her for a couple of hours, and she told us stories about her remarkable life in her lovely accent. Marie is now called Mary by family and friends, but I refer to her as Marie in this story for clarity. During our first meeting, Marie and I were both vetting each other. I wondered if I’d be able to do justice to a story that Marie had kept to herself for so many decades. She wondered if she was truly ready to share such private and difficult memories.</span></p><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Marie told me that her family never spoke of the war after it ended. Her parents had wanted to fully move on. Years later, Marie ventured to ask her mother some questions, but her mother gave precious few answers. The topic was still considered a closed book to the past. Because of all that she’s endured, Marie never wanted to watch war movies or read about wars. She especially stayed away from stories about concentration or prison camps and their victims. Like her parents, she was keeping her past firmly behind her.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Yet, a slow change came over Marie in recent years, and she was surprised to realize that she wanted to share her past. She wrote up a brief summary of her experiences, and she began to tell her family about what had happened to her. The lock she’d kept on her memories and fears was slowly turned, then opened.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Marie’s remarkable story begins when she was a child, living in Indonesia (then called the Netherlands East Indies). Both her parents were originally from the Netherlands. Her father, George Vischer, who worked for the Royal Packet Navigating Company (KPM), was stationed on Java Island as his home base.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">World War II left very few countries unscathed, and Marie’s family was divided up, then sent to live in Japanese prison-of-war camps after Japan invaded, conquered, and then occupied Indonesia. Marie, her mother, grandmother, and younger brother Georgie were sent to the Tjideng camp, which interned women and young children. Men and older boys were sent to their own camps. This began a period in Marie’s life that would shape her childhood, her future, and her beliefs.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Having read dozens of books about the World War II era over the years, I hadn’t ever read anything about the Dutch people’s experience in Indonesia. When I searched for books or films about the subject matter, I was only able to find self-published memoirs. I bought everything I could find and began to read.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I was already excited to write a historical novel about Marie’s early life just from what she’d shared with me in our first meeting, but I had no idea the impact of the war on Indonesia and its people until I dove deeper into research. Story after story, shared by former POW camp victims, revealed experiences long-buried. At the end of this novel is a list of the memoirs and other historical sources that helped frame this book.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">As a backdrop to Marie’s story, it’s important to understand why Indonesia became an strategic asset to the Axis power of Japan during the war. Due to the oil embargos against the Axis powers, the oil fields that spanned the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) drew Japan to the islands since they were searching for mineral resources to fuel its war effort. To the Japanese, the Dutch colonies were a diamond in the Pacific.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In the early 1600s, the Dutch joined other traders such as the Spanish, Portuguese, British, Arabia, etc., bent on securing trade routes and trade posts throughout southeastern Asia and the Americas. In 1602, in order to establish a dynasty over other traders, the Dutch founded the world’s first multinational trading empire called the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) or Dutch East Indies Company. This began the next two centuries of the VOC running trading posts. When the VOC declared bankruptcy in 1796, the Netherlands government took over, and the Dutch colonization of the East Indies went into full effect. Over the next several decades, Dutch families moved to Java and Sumatra, seeking opportunities in private enterprise.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">On the day that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 (December 8 in the NEI), the NEI was spurred into action, and they declared war on Japan. Every Dutchman the age of eighteen or older was conscripted into one of the Royal military branches to undergo accelerated military training. Overall, the Dutch relied mostly on the Western Allied powers for help. But the Allies were busy defending other Pacific Rim countries such as the Philippines and Singapore, leaving the NEI vulnerable to attack.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Battles raged between Japan and the Dutch, on land and on sea, ending with the Battle of the Java Sea, in which the NEI and Allied fleet was soundly defeated. Three days later, Japanese forces landed on Java Island, and one week later, on March 8, 1942, the NEI governing body officially capitulated to Japan.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">As a result, over 100,000 Dutch men, women, and children were funneled into prison camps. An additional 40,000 Dutch men became prisoners of war, many of them shipped to work camps in Burma, Japan, and Thailand.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The Dutch-Indonesians, or Indos, were caught in the middle. Descended from Dutch and Indonesian marriages, due to the decades of intermarriage from Dutch colonization, the Indos were given a choice: live in the prison camps or serve the new Japanese regime.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">With the takeover of the NEI by the Japanese, everything related to the Dutch culture was replaced by Japanese culture. Even Batavia, the capital of the NEI, was renamed to Jakarta. The Japanese language was taught in schools, the Japanese calendar implemented, and local time became Tokyo time.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Over 6,000 of the 18,110 islands of the Indonesia archipelago are inhabited, and in 1941, the Dutch population made up most of the Europeans living throughout the islands. The total population of the NEI was about 60 million people. To understand the scope of the loss the Dutch people suffered throughout the prison camps in Indonesia, by the end of the war, 30,000 European internees had died, but even more sobering is that a total of four million civilians perished, which included Indonesians and Indo-Europeans, as a result of malnutrition and forced labor.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Under the Java Moon follows the story of Marie and her family, as they endured the hardships of living in a POW camp during World War II. At the end of February 1942, Marie’s father, George Vischer, fled for his life with a group of naval officers in order to join up with Australian Allied forces. On a fateful day in March 1942, Marie Vischer was ushered out of her home. Marie, her elderly grandmother, her mother, and toddler brother were forced into a women’s prison camp ran by the notoriously cruel Japanese commander, Captain Kenichi Sonei.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">This is Marie’s story.</span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yeCl1EczidDMBLwnICS9oYsQN4veK0PAmmhuBzjvAtOFTcVxMbkN2tbxFRSkwr_l3j1KtJjy9NWQUjMzeNXM3YkP_31bBeKZXXklEZrWQ7qcg2nPlTB9Kmuf5lUwbRuTUE5sK4eLSlChrB01dJMJ4hwona9iXqLKmL3xK0rQlMJidY0XDAhBDuWKqnA/s2775/Under%20the%20Java%20Moon%20cover%20sample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yeCl1EczidDMBLwnICS9oYsQN4veK0PAmmhuBzjvAtOFTcVxMbkN2tbxFRSkwr_l3j1KtJjy9NWQUjMzeNXM3YkP_31bBeKZXXklEZrWQ7qcg2nPlTB9Kmuf5lUwbRuTUE5sK4eLSlChrB01dJMJ4hwona9iXqLKmL3xK0rQlMJidY0XDAhBDuWKqnA/s320/Under%20the%20Java%20Moon%20cover%20sample.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Available at <a href="https://shadowmountain.com/product/under-the-java-moon/" target="_blank">most retailers</a>!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Book Club Kit <a href="https://hbmoore.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/UndertheJavaMoon_BOOKCLUBKIT.pdf" target="_blank">available here</a>.</div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-11347552945837037992023-09-03T10:49:00.001-06:002023-09-03T10:49:18.797-06:00Book Tour with Julie Wright<p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Join me and author Julie Wright!</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Las </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer;" tabindex="-1"></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Vegas, Nevada September 5th</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: arial; white-space-collapse: preserve;">12-1 Deseret Book</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: arial; white-space-collapse: preserve;">5750 Centennial Center Blvd</span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Upland, California Sept 6th<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">3-5 pm Ensign Books<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">1037 W Foothill Blvd Upland, Ca</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Redlands, California Sept 7th<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">3-5 pm Ensign Books<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">700 E Redlands Blvd Ste 1 Redlands, Ca</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Costa Mesa, California Sept 9th<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">11-1 pm Deseret Book<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">2200 Harbor Blvd Ste 8110 Costa Mesa, Ca</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjM2EBi6WuDKaU-pIKts6YaFE8RrkrJtNZaHzirWdi8UktGtxbbZrODeoyzKs7A0mc-XgRYp6i7vUeaF02jYwQUHp8slvYPj5NHhSN-sPEjjA9vn88olyxytyXFKQ9aodi6iu1xAIU1HtsqSoTYzVvhWQxZxYy8eUfPuzQ9okWoLYSQPfTeYoa9WDt15s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjM2EBi6WuDKaU-pIKts6YaFE8RrkrJtNZaHzirWdi8UktGtxbbZrODeoyzKs7A0mc-XgRYp6i7vUeaF02jYwQUHp8slvYPj5NHhSN-sPEjjA9vn88olyxytyXFKQ9aodi6iu1xAIU1HtsqSoTYzVvhWQxZxYy8eUfPuzQ9okWoLYSQPfTeYoa9WDt15s=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><p></p></div>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-973365151588949932023-06-04T11:26:00.010-06:002023-06-04T11:26:59.101-06:00Salem Witch Museum--book signing<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bucket List. Check.</span></p><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">For several years, the Salem Witch Museum has been carrying paperback copies of the book I wrote about my 10th great-grandmother Susannah North Martin, CONDEMN ME NOT. I've long wanted to do a book signing there, and now I'll be heading to Massachusetts in a few weeks and signing at the Salem Witch Museum on June 22, 12-4:00 pm. Join me if you're in the area! </div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCCWTmJPM8md87HyzXbNuOeUs963_Kj2XDiitfVE4oLbKlw7GufxPsXlcZYpTHl8zDZjigg76Lk6OeTbBgY0eXhmqrbRbTtBV4J2F95jcS_qktqgbdkGzY01NO-JlBuKanrbyx5IQ5lU7NcqYC99plR1Y0fnd7gPyuzoEOyBte9WyQt1VY0QzcFwUu" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCCWTmJPM8md87HyzXbNuOeUs963_Kj2XDiitfVE4oLbKlw7GufxPsXlcZYpTHl8zDZjigg76Lk6OeTbBgY0eXhmqrbRbTtBV4J2F95jcS_qktqgbdkGzY01NO-JlBuKanrbyx5IQ5lU7NcqYC99plR1Y0fnd7gPyuzoEOyBte9WyQt1VY0QzcFwUu" width="286" /></a></div><br /><br /></div>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-9754111019487886402023-03-08T09:38:00.003-07:002023-03-08T09:38:58.486-07:00Spring 2023: Young Reader's Edition of The Paper Daughters of Chinatown<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyH_8UVVTpKU46-UReZnckwrwsUU3eJLljRD_jecPwLCAP8hNEwDez2n-BA2y7PL8c_T9LInxqCQ9lvMGL-bniEzZHvTkpavhPBNEQFzZgOHP5T4UIiuRriyAZyj532bLMm6Tw7hu2dI9CtxZUYa9FW9isYqGJaVVaul595gIhJhyRd_-q6Wbgd7g/s2550/Paper%20Daughters%20YRE%20Final%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyH_8UVVTpKU46-UReZnckwrwsUU3eJLljRD_jecPwLCAP8hNEwDez2n-BA2y7PL8c_T9LInxqCQ9lvMGL-bniEzZHvTkpavhPBNEQFzZgOHP5T4UIiuRriyAZyj532bLMm6Tw7hu2dI9CtxZUYa9FW9isYqGJaVVaul595gIhJhyRd_-q6Wbgd7g/s320/Paper%20Daughters%20YRE%20Final%20cover.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In 2019, I visited the Cameron House in San Francisco for the first time. Founded in 1874, originally established as the Occidental Mission Home for Girls, the Cameron House has a long history of bringing aid and relief to the community of Chinatown, (CameronHouse.org). My purpose in visiting was to learn more about the remarkable women who worked as volunteers in the early years, including former mission home director Donaldina Cameron, in preparation for writing the historical novel, The Paper Daughters of Chinatown (September 2020, Shadow Mountain). But one visit to the Cameron House, and I was deeply touched by the life and service of Tien Fu Wu.</span></p><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In 2021, my publisher asked me to write a Young Readers version of The Paper Daughters of Chinatown. I hesitated because I was reluctant to go back into the depths of research that had brought me so much heartache. So I decided to read a few other YR versions of favorite books of mine. I discovered that most of them were either co-written or ghost-written. That gave me an idea. If I could share the emotional journey with a co-author while writing another version of this heart-wrenching story of what took place in San Francisco's Chinatown, then I would seriously consider it. The first writer who came to mind was Allison Hong Merrill. The minute I thought of her, I knew without a doubt, that she would be a stellar co-author. Allison had been my first reader of the original manuscript and had given me excellent insights. She'd also recently published a deeply personal memoir that left me grateful to have such a fierce and loyal friend.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Still, I was nervous to ask her because the deadline was pretty tight, and I needed her to be completely on board with not only the entire writing and editing process, but future marketing. I emailed Allison, and she replied almost immediately, even though she was flying in a small plane with almost nonexistent reception. Her resounding YES only confirmed I'd made the right choice. This was echoed over and over as we hammered out the plot and put together an intense writing and accountability schedule. We both agreed that the main character of this new version would be 6-year-old Tien Fu Wu. We kept part of the Donaldina Cameron story arc from the original book, but completely rewrote her chapters with a different focus. (So, yes, you can read both versions and come away with two stories.)</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">“Auntie Wu” or “Tien” as the residents of the mission home called her, was brought to Chinatown as a paper daughter in the late 1800s. A loophole in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 created a dubious opportunity for slave owners or members of the criminal tong to bring Chinese women into the country under false identities supported by forged paperwork. In this forged paperwork system, the young Chinese woman would memorize her new family’s heritage and claim to be married or otherwise related to a Chinese man already living and working in California, and the paper daughter was allowed into the country. “Upon arrival in San Francisco many such Chinese women, usually between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five, were taken to a barracoon, where they were either turned over to their owners or stripped for inspection and sold to the highest bidder” (see Unbound Feet by Judy Young, 27).</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Such was Tien Fu’s experience. In the records from the Cameron House, we learn that Tien Fu was called Teen Fook or Tai Choi before her rescue. In an entry dated January 17, 1894, her rescue is detailed: “Tai Choie alias Teen Fook was rescued by Miss Houseworth, Miss Florence Worley and some police officers from her inhuman mistress who lived on Jackson St. near Stockton St. The child had been very cruelly treated—her flesh pinched and twisted till her face was scarred. Another method of torture was to dip lighted candlewicking in oil and burn her arms with it. Teen Fook is a pretty child of about ten years old, rosy cheeked and fair complexion” (see Chinatown’s Angry Angel by Mildred Martin, 46).</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Adjustment to new life and expectations in the mission home wasn’t a simple road for any of the girls and young women, especially for Tien Fu. She harbored deep resentments for anyone who was in a position of power over her, but through the months and years of love and consistency, Tien Fu flourished and became an integral part of the mission’s work. She served as a translator for the mission home director, Donaldina Cameron, when they went on rescue work. Tien Fu wanted to continue contributing, to give back, and to serve those in need. She was determined to get a college education so that she could open more doors and serve in greater capacities in the mission home and throughout the community.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The mission home found a sponsor for Tien Fu’s education, and she spent four years in Germantown, Pennsylvania, and two years in Bible Training School in Toronto, Canada (Martin, 153). Before leaving San Francisco, she promised Donaldina Cameron that she would return to the mission home and continue to work for the cause. True to her word, Tien Fu returned to San Francisco and spent the remainder of her career as a champion for the women and girls of the Chinatown community. She truly lived a dedicated life in service, faith, and love as she persevered through extreme challenges, while lifting others with her along the way.</span><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61446348-the-paper-daughters-of-chinatown" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Buy <a href="https://amzn.to/3JoanKO" target="_blank">on Amazon </a></span></span></div>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-6583426810388377512022-10-16T08:48:00.007-06:002023-03-08T09:35:02.431-07:00Now available: In the Shadow of a Queen<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaPcYnZAXjQkPUhBtrsxL4KiSF9VeUp6NxgKm77GiGFpMSbWMDambs67EtVr96eZsE2m7sajfsMHq4rWMqKZvtDbfUv73lEkBuZX_4QSGg66LiXPbvw2LJpysZcaP0Y7Wee55cjSiL6VWN36trAj16rXqx7QoujaxQRb4eKZIrlJF34FKefl0zANr/s2775/In%20the%20Shadow%20of%20the%20Queen_cover%20adjusted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaPcYnZAXjQkPUhBtrsxL4KiSF9VeUp6NxgKm77GiGFpMSbWMDambs67EtVr96eZsE2m7sajfsMHq4rWMqKZvtDbfUv73lEkBuZX_4QSGg66LiXPbvw2LJpysZcaP0Y7Wee55cjSiL6VWN36trAj16rXqx7QoujaxQRb4eKZIrlJF34FKefl0zANr/s320/In%20the%20Shadow%20of%20the%20Queen_cover%20adjusted.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><table border="0" cellspacing="1" class="myActivity" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="readable reviewText" style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;">I'm thrilled that IN THE SHADOW OF A QUEEN is now available in <a href="https://shadowmountain.com/product/in-the-shadow-of-a-queen/" target="_blank">Hardcover, e-book, Audible, Audio CD, and Bookshelf Audio</a>. <br /><br />My interest in royal families dates back to the 1980s when I began reading about Queen Elizabeth I. Monarchies have always fascinated me. Queen Victoria became of particular interest to me when I learned more about her five daughters and the contributions they made to women’s causes throughout Europe by establishing schools and founding charities. Not only that, but her daughters also became the voice of the Crown. Queen Victoria relied on them to serve as her private secretaries while she battled with severe depression and kept her eldest son—and heir—at arm’s length.<br /><br />More specifically, Princess Louise interested me because she deviated from the traditional path of royals during her era by marrying a commoner and pursuing the masculine career of a sculptor. One might consider the modern embodiment of Princess Louise to be Princess Diana, who was also committed to the downtrodden and redefined what it meant to be a royal.<br /><br />My family lineage extends to British royalty, as does my husband’s, and I tried in vain to find a direct link with Princess Louise herself. There was no link since she didn’t have children, but my husband is a distant cousin to the Argyll family.<br /><br />I spent a full six months researching and writing about Princess Louise. Even in the editing process, I was still discovering nuances and tidbits. Princess Louise might have been a member of the most prestigious royal family of her time, but she took a step back from glitter and glamour and found ways to positively impact the lives of others, even when the climb was straight uphill. She had a queen for a mother, and Louise’s voice was often strictly controlled and limited to what was considered acceptable for the era. Yet she managed to carve out a fulfilling life and push through barriers in order to achieve her hopes.<br /><br />It was my honor to write her story.<br /><br />For all things Queen Victoria & Princess Louise, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/InTheShadowOfaQueen" target="_blank">join the Facebook page here</a>.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-2091429445821941632022-06-27T15:18:00.005-06:002022-06-27T15:19:17.110-06:00Hannah: Mother of a Prophet<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-vVkCGcJiJFS5aJgG9sp80XrT_nWArR-qRCCNTxWdfCWMvIkFV7SIUoLrTBaexh_ylfxiGTJet62yjQHLSw40_nUKynsyZszZf7saC1VbosKkcmITvfsHGOKo_3ca11NtEG-ghDzpNSsVLm7nIGdzu4JjtA-4mlEKFnxU_b0x6ks1aCEPzQx1Bk7/s475/Hannah%20ebook%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-vVkCGcJiJFS5aJgG9sp80XrT_nWArR-qRCCNTxWdfCWMvIkFV7SIUoLrTBaexh_ylfxiGTJet62yjQHLSw40_nUKynsyZszZf7saC1VbosKkcmITvfsHGOKo_3ca11NtEG-ghDzpNSsVLm7nIGdzu4JjtA-4mlEKFnxU_b0x6ks1aCEPzQx1Bk7/s320/Hannah%20ebook%20cover.jpg" width="214" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: var(--primary-text); font-family: arial; font-size: 0.9375rem;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">Thank you everyone for the wonderful reception of HANNAH. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: var(--primary-text); font-family: arial; font-size: 0.9375rem;">I’m excited that it’s now available on <a href="https://amzn.to/3xmAxrW" target="_blank">paperback on Amazon</a> for those who don’t have access to a bookstore that carries my books (or are Prime shoppers like me. Haha).</span></p><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I once had a conversation about one of my biblical novels with one of my agents, who is Jewish, and she told me, “I think you know more about my religion and history than I do.” Even if I’ve done a lot of focused research, I always use advance readers who are historians, scholars, or members of the faith or culture I’m writing about (now called “sensitivity readers”). Not everyone wants to write a book about their ancestors or heritage. I wrote Condemn Me Not about my 10th great-grandmother. It was a passion project the spanned 4 years of starting and stopping. I recognize that there are traumas in many people’s backgrounds, and they don’t want to dig them up and write about it, even if it’s important to not forget history. This also makes me appreciate authors who work to bring stories to life for me as well, so that I can keep learning and growing.</span></span></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I wrote RUTH, I felt that yes, I needed to do my research and have the right advance readers and experts give me feedback, but ultimately it was a story of two women, one a daughter-in-law and another a mother-in-law. My mother-in-law passed away several years ago, but I was able to use her example and our relationship as a springboard into the characterization.</span></span></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back to HANNAH. I’m not Jewish or Hebrew. I've never struggled with infertility. But as a woman and a mother and a sister and daughter (all human stuff), I was able to glean the emotions that Hannah might have gone through, in addition to watching my older sister go through years of infertility and frustrations with wanting a family and not being able to have one. (She now has 6 children, so she experienced more than one miracle.)</span></span></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of my favorite reviews on Hannah is from a Jewish reader (Carol F, NetGalley), “It was interesting to read a Christian view of Hannah and Samuel. It was smooth reading and full of information. Why did I really want to read this? My Hebrew name is Chana or in English is Hannah. My father, may his memory be a blessing, is Samuel. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.”</span></span></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thanks again, my friends, for supporting a small Christian author who is hoping to bring more interest and understanding to our sisters in the scriptures.</span></span></div>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-27973961059732337802022-04-11T13:12:00.014-06:002022-05-28T21:53:33.370-06:002022 Booksignings <p style="text-align: center;"> <b>Join me at a book signing in 2022!</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><p><span data-sheets-userformat="{"2":2881,"3":{"1":0},"9":1,"11":4,"12":0,"14":{"1":3,"3":1}}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Book signings: April 25 at Orem Deseret Book: 6-8:00 pm. May 7 at Layton Seagull Book: 1-3:00 pm. June 4 at Duchesne Library Event: 1:00 pm. June 25 at Cedar City Deseret Book: 2-4:00 pm"}" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><b>April 25</b> at Orem Deseret Book: 6-8:00 pm. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><b>May 7 </b>at Layton Seagull Book: 1-3:00 pm. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><b>May 14</b> at Provo Utah Valley Convention Center: 5:30-7:00 pm</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><b>June 4 </b>at Duchesne Library Event: 1:00 pm. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><b>June 16</b> at Deseret Book City Creek, SLC, 5-7:00 pm</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><b>June 18 </b>at American Fork Seagull Book, 11:00 am</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><b>June 25</b> at Cedar City Deseret Book: 2-4:00 pm</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><b>Aug 13 </b>at Cottonwood Heights Deseret Book 2-4:00 pm</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8l7B3PPAVNe--uWCa3tdGpQGnI7ikFQL-0rRbbUwPEITQxK_mEKkuwbQIuanBybaT1D3hW0CIAUTOLSMHZYvQ18tyeC3LZ4TN_2UHanlE8qEAxB1fcR8IvcvLGOfivB8zrYdFfC6O-Mm_INXaswPL1jiW9ipf7sSBtVrtZ-4GdiqfxDb0Hs9D2FyO" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8l7B3PPAVNe--uWCa3tdGpQGnI7ikFQL-0rRbbUwPEITQxK_mEKkuwbQIuanBybaT1D3hW0CIAUTOLSMHZYvQ18tyeC3LZ4TN_2UHanlE8qEAxB1fcR8IvcvLGOfivB8zrYdFfC6O-Mm_INXaswPL1jiW9ipf7sSBtVrtZ-4GdiqfxDb0Hs9D2FyO=w320-h320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></span><p></p>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-27826415509507170152021-09-03T06:53:00.006-06:002021-10-13T11:47:43.265-06:00Video interviews with Bob Inama<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On June 30, 2021, my publisher and I went to Idaho Falls and met with Bob and Diane Inama. We recorded a series of video interviews, and listened as Bob recounted his experiences serving in the US Army 1960-1962.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bob did basic training at Fort Ord, then additional training at Fort Sill, before being assigned to Hanau West Germany. Months into his Germany assignment, he was asked to go undercover into East Germany--posing as a University student taking an economics class. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's the video interview with Bob Inama, the hero in <b>The Slow March of Light</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">June 30, 2021</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M5QJo0I-1UU" width="320" youtube-src-id="M5QJo0I-1UU"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The Slow March of Light </b>releases September 7, 2021 to <a href="https://shadowmountain.com/product/the-slow-march-of-light/" target="_blank">most retailers</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JGtI-qDJSmc/YTIat3cZupI/AAAAAAAA2Fs/FHpiAxxNKN0QEvM7uuvhfHuQ2B2pCEkYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/The%2BSlow%2BMarch%2Bof%2BLight%2B-%2BHeather%2BMoore%2B-%2BFINAL.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JGtI-qDJSmc/YTIat3cZupI/AAAAAAAA2Fs/FHpiAxxNKN0QEvM7uuvhfHuQ2B2pCEkYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/The%2BSlow%2BMarch%2Bof%2BLight%2B-%2BHeather%2BMoore%2B-%2BFINAL.jpeg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Join the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SlowMarchOfLight" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> for more updates.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br /> <p></p>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-74733762591448579602021-08-08T14:21:00.006-06:002021-08-08T14:23:09.855-06:00Editor's Pick<p> I'm thrilled to share that <b>The Slow March of Ligh</b>t was selected as an Editor's Choice by the Historical Novel Society. </p><p>Full review can be <a href="https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-slow-march-of-light/" target="_blank">read here</a>.</p><p>Releases September 7, 2021. You can <a href="https://shadowmountain.com/product/the-slow-march-of-light/" target="_blank">pre-order here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bWab6WuBqlQ/YRA8ZcGP6zI/AAAAAAAA1DE/s3HgA1fbmNoymiq1fXJ9JmVAVpkStRZqACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Historical%2BNovel%2BSociety--Editors%2BPick.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bWab6WuBqlQ/YRA8ZcGP6zI/AAAAAAAA1DE/s3HgA1fbmNoymiq1fXJ9JmVAVpkStRZqACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/Historical%2BNovel%2BSociety--Editors%2BPick.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-36627639767549123452021-05-20T14:09:00.003-06:002021-05-20T14:10:38.347-06:00Booklist Review: The Slow March of Light<p>Thank you to Booklist for the wonderful review of <b>The Slow March of Light</b>. </p><p>Full review can be <a href="https://booklist.booklistonline.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&edid=969ed016-ab0d-4db2-8405-2a5a049a5ed7" target="_blank">read here</a> (p. 37).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6XJbxIxs9Sg/YKbBpD0ef4I/AAAAAAAA04Y/v8NrYaYx1nMz9IBbFGXqS2JfgpLDLG_yACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Booklist%2BReview.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6XJbxIxs9Sg/YKbBpD0ef4I/AAAAAAAA04Y/v8NrYaYx1nMz9IBbFGXqS2JfgpLDLG_yACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/Booklist%2BReview.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amazon pre-order: </span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl py34i1dx gpro0wi8" href="https://amzn.to/3yeUXkt?fbclid=IwAR1C49Y_7tiCarGgZ0HbmxO-25YrDfQHaMXfu8tzHdgyEVGQX1kX-dY_F7I" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/3yeUXkt</a></span></p><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Coming soon to other retailers. Official release date: September 7, 2021.</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Summary from the publisher:</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;">Based on a true story. Inspired by real events.</b><br style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;" /><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;">A riveting and emotionally-gripping novel of an American soldier working as a spy in Soviet-occupied East Germany and a West German woman secretly helping her countrymen escape from behind the Berlin Wall. </b><br style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;" /><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;">In the summer of 1961, a wall of barbed wire goes up quickly in the dead of night, officially dividing Berlin. Luisa Voigt lives in West Berlin, but her grandmother lives across the border and is now trapped inside the newly- isolated communist country of East Germany. Desperate to rescue her grandmother and aware of the many others whose families have been divided, Luisa joins a secret spy network, risking her life to help bring others through a makeshift, underground tunnel to West Germany. Their work is dangerous and not everyone will successfully escape or live to see freedom. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;" /><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;">Bob Inama was an outstanding university student, with plans to attend law school when he is drafted into the US Army. Stationed in West Germany, he is glad to be fluent in German, especially after meeting Luisa Voigt at a church social. As they spend time together, they form a close connection. But when Bob receives classified orders to leave for undercover work immediately, he does not get the chance to say goodbye.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;" /><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;">With a fake identity, Bob's special assignment is to be a spy embedded in East Germany. His undercover job will give him access to government sites to map out strategic military targets. But Soviet and East German spies, the secret police, and Stasi informants are everywhere, and eventually Bob is caught and sent to a brutal East German prison. Interrogated and tortured daily, Bob clings to any hope he can find from the sunlight that marches across the wall of his prison to the one guard who secretly treats him with kindness to the thought of one day seeing Luisa again.</span></div>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-29796324705200957672021-04-27T09:02:00.004-06:002021-04-27T09:02:57.188-06:00Publisher's Marketplace: next book announced!<p> I'm excited to announce my next historical novel, which will be based on Princess Louise Duchess of Argyll. She was the fourth daughter, and sixth child, of Queen Victoria. I'm building a <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/heatherbmoore3/princess-louise-duchess-of-argyll/" target="_blank">Pinterest page for my research</a>. I could spend years on this book, but I have about six months to draft, so it's a full-time job right now. </p><p>Here's the announcement from Publisher's Marketplace:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_YCUNSxProA/YIgnMynkeBI/AAAAAAAA01I/-xeytay7MJ4YEr7Mo3NJftO4H3o9SStKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s750/PMDealReport_329004%2BPrincess%2BLouise.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="750" height="140" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_YCUNSxProA/YIgnMynkeBI/AAAAAAAA01I/-xeytay7MJ4YEr7Mo3NJftO4H3o9SStKwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h140/PMDealReport_329004%2BPrincess%2BLouise.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Now back to work!</p><p><br /></p>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-42654407654883408762021-03-20T17:58:00.001-06:002021-03-20T17:58:41.955-06:00Cover Reveal: The Slow March of Light<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> I'm thrilled to share the final cover for my historical novel, <b>The Slow March of Light</b>. Coming September 7, 2021.</span></p><p><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="background-color: white; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-weight: 600;"><span style="font-family: arial;">From the publisher:</span></span></p><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Based on a true story. Inspired by real events.</span></span></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A riveting and emotionally-gripping novel of an American soldier working as a spy in Soviet-occupied East Germany and a West German woman secretly helping her countrymen escape from behind the Berlin Wall.</span></span></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><br /></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cbEj7Vswd5g/YFaLWrLxB5I/AAAAAAAA0xk/-0lr-9t2Ke4I2GGDLkM_jCaZbu7GAp8NACLcBGAsYHQ/s940/The%2BSlow%2BMarch%2Bof%2BLight%2BCOVER%2BREVEAL.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="335" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cbEj7Vswd5g/YFaLWrLxB5I/AAAAAAAA0xk/-0lr-9t2Ke4I2GGDLkM_jCaZbu7GAp8NACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h335/The%2BSlow%2BMarch%2Bof%2BLight%2BCOVER%2BREVEAL.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm looking forward to sharing more about this book in the coming months. </span></span></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Add to your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57035653-the-slow-march-of-light" target="_blank">Goodreads list here</a>.</span></span></div>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-86714552225797032002020-11-12T13:28:00.002-07:002020-11-12T13:28:18.656-07:00Exclusive Notes on Goodreads: The Paper Daughters of Chinatown<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJNp7nyQL20/X62aUmPawTI/AAAAAAAA0iM/R9Llcooplzk4OluPqDVYqGyIv8xO3N0HwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/KNH%2BIG%2BPost.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJNp7nyQL20/X62aUmPawTI/AAAAAAAA0iM/R9Llcooplzk4OluPqDVYqGyIv8xO3N0HwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/KNH%2BIG%2BPost.png" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Check out <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/notes/54848588-the-paper-daughters-of-chinatown/1590401-heather?ref=social" target="_blank">Goodreads here</a> to read my exclusive insider notes on the highlights that Kindle readers have marked!</p><p>And my book The Paper Daughters of Chinatown is currently in the semi-finals for the #GoodreadsChoice awards in the Historical Fiction category. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-historical-fiction-books-2020" target="_blank">Vote on Goodreads</a> by November 15! </p>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-86764478070541630232020-09-29T14:35:00.001-06:002020-09-29T14:38:54.052-06:00Bob Inama: Our First Meeting<p> Today I met Bob Inama. Our first conversation was March 19, 2020 over a Skype video call. After a few technical difficulties, we were able to finally speak in a meeting with Bob, his wife Diane, and Shadow Mountain director, Chris Schoebinger. In this first initial meeting, Bob told us about his experiences working undercover for the US Army in the early 1960s in Soviet-occupied East Germany. He was eventually betrayed by an East German and arrested. The story that unfolded is not what you might expect. Yes, he was imprisoned. Yes, he was beaten daily. Yes, he was traumatized. But Bob's light never dimmed. He left behind his shackles and the depths of a tiny cell and built a life of hope, love, and family. Over the past several months, Covid-19 kept any chance at meeting slim since we live in different states. Since March 19, up until this past week, I've been working on Bob's story so that more people can read and be inspired by a life well lived. If all goes well with my publisher and the production, the book will be available Fall 2021. But right now, my heart is full for having met this man in person. At last. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-auMKQnv_V2k/X3OZ6Yea04I/AAAAAAAAx0k/U9D7ffcnD4IfkEgVzahqeZS33ta6FEMSACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Bob%2BInama%2Band%2BHeather%2B9-29-20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-auMKQnv_V2k/X3OZ6Yea04I/AAAAAAAAx0k/U9D7ffcnD4IfkEgVzahqeZS33ta6FEMSACLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/Bob%2BInama%2Band%2BHeather%2B9-29-20.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-69573496036016980112020-09-26T19:49:00.003-06:002020-09-26T19:49:45.812-06:00Praiseworthy Award Honorable Mention<p> I'm excited to announce that Deborah Prophetess of God was given the Praiseworthy Award Honorable Mention by the LDSPMA. I love that the award recognizes everyone involved in the production of the book! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zhabu5t2c2M/X2_vnGpRMkI/AAAAAAAAxxo/Rg7PvvYyokMsY5EOwDXhh2xlJg0zlCVOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1334/Praiseworthy%2BAward%2BHonorable%2BMention.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zhabu5t2c2M/X2_vnGpRMkI/AAAAAAAAxxo/Rg7PvvYyokMsY5EOwDXhh2xlJg0zlCVOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Praiseworthy%2BAward%2BHonorable%2BMention.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-32427334908206056112020-09-01T23:00:00.003-06:002020-09-01T23:00:42.731-06:00Tien Fu Wu: A Dedicated Life<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GC0nbvuxRCE/X08m3NSwmQI/AAAAAAAAwVU/A246fijvgQcTnT16hMs-YGJSb77yIs5mQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/Tien_1900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="624" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GC0nbvuxRCE/X08m3NSwmQI/AAAAAAAAwVU/A246fijvgQcTnT16hMs-YGJSb77yIs5mQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Tien_1900.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In 2019, I visited the Cameron House in San Francisco
for the first time. Founded in 1874, originally established as the Occidental
Mission Home for Girls, the Cameron House has a long history of bringing aid
and relief to the community of Chinatown, (</span><a href="https://cameronhouse.org/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">CameronHouse.org</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">).
My purpose in visiting was to learn more about the remarkable women who worked
as volunteers in the early years, including former mission home director Donaldina
Cameron, in preparation for writing the historical novel, <i>The Paper
Daughters of Chinatown</i> (September 2020, Shadow Mountain). But one visit to
the Cameron House, and I was deeply touched by the life and service of Tien Fu
Wu.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Auntie Wu” or “Tien” as the residents of the mission
home called her, was brought to Chinatown as a <i>paper daughter</i> in the
late 1800s. A loophole in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 created a dubious
opportunity for slave owners or members of the criminal tong to bring Chinese
women into the country under false identities supported by forged paperwork. In
this forged paperwork system, the young Chinese woman would memorize her new
family’s heritage and claim to be married or otherwise related to a Chinese man
already living and working in California, and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">paper daughter</i> was allowed into the country. “Upon arrival in San
Francisco many such Chinese women, usually between the ages of sixteen and
twenty-five, were taken to a barracoon, where they were either turned over to
their owners or stripped for inspection and sold to the highest bidder” (see <i>Unbound
Feet</i> by Judy Young, 27).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Such was Tien’s experience. In the records from the Cameron
House, we learn that Tien was called Teen Fook or Tai Choi before her rescue.
In an entry dated January 17, 1894, her rescue is detailed: “Tai Choie alias
Teen Fook was rescued by Miss Houseworth, Miss Florence Worley and some police
officers from her inhuman mistress who lived on Jackson St. near Stockton St.
The child had been very cruelly treated—her flesh pinched and twisted till her
face was scarred. Another method of torture was to dip lighted candlewicking in
oil and burn her arms with it. Teen Fook is a pretty child of about ten years
old, rosy cheeked and fair complexion” (see <i>Chinatown’s Angry</i> <i>Angel</i>
by Mildred Martin, 46).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Adjustment to new life and expectations in the mission
home wasn’t a simple road for any of the girls and young women, especially for
Tien. She harbored deep resentments for anyone who was in a position of power
over her, but through the months and years of love and consistency, Tien
flourished and became an integral part of the mission’s work. She served as a
translator for the mission home director, Donaldina Cameron, when they went on
rescue work. Tien wanted to continue contributing, to give back, and to serve those
in need. She was determined to get a college education so that she could open
more doors and serve in greater capacities in the mission home and throughout
the community. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The mission home found a sponsor for Tien’s education,
and she spent four years in Germantown, Pennsylvania, and two years in Bible
Training School in Toronto, Canada (Martin, 153). Before leaving San Francisco,
she promised Donaldina Cameron that she would return to the mission home and
continue to work for the cause. True to her word, Tien returned to San
Francisco and spent the remainder of her career as a champion for the women and
girls of the Chinatown community. She truly lived a dedicated life in service,
faith, and love as she persevered through extreme challenges, while lifting
others with her along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-27969066961686606352020-08-31T08:43:00.001-06:002020-08-31T08:43:31.765-06:00Submitted! The Sermon on the Mount--Insights for Women<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A5vTlZBY7CE/X00MgOHOJCI/AAAAAAAAwSA/aIbOiLGwRns6RZ6HxC0gMU_iBdLzGfFWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Sermon%2Bon%2Bthe%2BMount%2Bwindow%2BDepositphotos_4938605_xl-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1107" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A5vTlZBY7CE/X00MgOHOJCI/AAAAAAAAwSA/aIbOiLGwRns6RZ6HxC0gMU_iBdLzGfFWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sermon%2Bon%2Bthe%2BMount%2Bwindow%2BDepositphotos_4938605_xl-2015.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>TODAY my co-author Angela Eschler and I submitted our non-fiction manuscript to our publisher. A few years ago, our book Christ's Gifts to Women, was released, and since then we've wanted to do another project. In 2018, we brainstormed ideas, then pitched the idea of learning about the Beatitudes from the eyes of the women found in scriptures. Little did we know that life would get in the way many, many times, but we continued to persevere and this spring we set our do-or-die goal. </p><p>Here is our submission letter. If all goes well, we'll see a release in time for Mother's Day 2021:</p><p><br /></p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Dear [editor], </p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Angela Eschler and I are thrilled to submit our non-fiction book, with the working title of: <i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">The Sermon on the Mount – Insights for Women</i>. In a similar vein to our previous book, <i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Christ’s Gifts to Women</i>, we are envisioning an illustrated gift book with an introduction, and eight sections, each covering a beatitude. </p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Summary: </b></p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Authors Angela Eschler and Heather B. Moore offer insights and inspirations of how the beatitudes taught by the Savior during the Sermon on the Mount lay the groundwork of finding happiness and peace in our lives, despite monumental challenges and trials that come our way. Each beatitude blessing begins with the phrase “blessed are . . .” But what if we focused on the translated version instead: “happy are . . .” </p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Happy are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. </i></p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Happy are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. </i></p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Happy are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. </i></p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">With this singular translation adjustment, the blessings take on a deeper meaning. What if we could truly find joy when the skies in our lives are murky and sometimes dark? What if instead of feeling despair, we could feel hope? What if we knew, without a doubt, that we are beloved daughters of our Heavenly Father? In a world of ever-changing opinions, deep suffering, and increasing challenges, returning to the plain and simple truths can act as a balm to our troubled souls. By studying the meaning and significance of the beatitudes, as well as how we can bring these blessings into our hearts, new hope arises. And with new hope, comes love and peace, and finally joy. </p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">We look forward to hearing from you, </p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Heather & Angela</p>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-20567680770308231402020-08-22T23:42:00.001-06:002020-08-22T23:42:02.765-06:00Book Club Kit for The Paper Daughters of Chinatown<p> Are you in a book club? Or do you share books with a friend or neighbor? My publisher put together this lovely Book Club Kit with discussion questions and other insights into <b>The Paper Daughters of Chinatown</b>. You can download the PDF directly from <a href="https://hbmoore.com/" target="_blank">my website here</a>. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Btj038zO6vw/X0IBh1Slw-I/AAAAAAAAvno/tOm7jNNCuWQWYpbejtSFDKlmEA0R3SpwACLcBGAsYHQ/s681/Paper%2BDaughters%2BBook%2BClub%2BKit%2Bimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="531" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Btj038zO6vw/X0IBh1Slw-I/AAAAAAAAvno/tOm7jNNCuWQWYpbejtSFDKlmEA0R3SpwACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Paper%2BDaughters%2BBook%2BClub%2BKit%2Bimage.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-71404100106326679442020-08-17T09:58:00.007-06:002020-08-17T09:58:57.067-06:00Submitted: Cold War book<p> This book is yet untitled, but today I submitted a historical novel based on an army vet's experience in the early 1960s East Germany as he worked undercover for the US government. I began working on this book in March, and after total immersion for about four months, it's finally ready for submission. I've also established a <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/heatherbmoore3/cold-war-research/">Pinterest board for the book here.</a> </p><p>Here is part of my introduction:</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">When
I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, it seemed that the animosity between the
United States and the USSR had always been part of the news, and the many spy
movies produced during those eras were keen to create scenarios that would grip
the audiences’ imagination. But Bob Inama’s story is not an ordinary spy story. It is
one of a remarkable man, a humble man, who served his country, looked beyond
himself, and changed lives around him. Even when he was nothing more than a
prisoner of war in a 10x12 foot cell for six months.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Covid-19 was a growing force in the
US when my first meeting loomed on the horizon with Bob and his wife Diane. So,
over Skype, I met this extraordinary couple. Through the video call, I listened
as this eighty-five-year old man told me of his experiences, from first being
drafted into the army in 1959, which waylaid all of his plans to attend law
school at George Washington University, until the day he received an assignment
to go undercover in East Berlin and send nuclear target information back to the
United States army.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">When I asked questions from my
pre-written list, Bob stopped me at one point and said, “There are just some
things I had to forget.” As such, I have taken a respectful approach to Bob’s
story and experiences. He endured a lot through his many trials, and he became
an inspiration in my personal life as the world around me was ravaged with a
devastating pandemic that forever changed everyone’s lives. Throughout Bob’s
life, no matter what he endured, no matter the pain, the fear, or the unknown,
he faced it with hope in his heart. He treated everyone around him as if they
were a family member. From his army platoon, to the German people, to the East
German guards, and the Soviet soldiers and officers who reviled and abused him.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Bob walked a straight line through
his life according to his beliefs in a higher power. His humbleness and
gratitude for his blessings, even on the darkest of days, echoes one of his
favorite talks given by Joseph B. Wirthlin in 2008: “Come What May, and Love It.”
This phrase truly embodies the way that Bob chose to live his life. Whether it
was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, or at the army post in Hanau, Germany, Bob was
generous and loyal, despite the fact that he was serving in the epicenter of
the Cold War, where one wrong move from either side of the West/East German inner-border
could result in the next devastating world war. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-22528662385673911082020-07-17T22:09:00.002-06:002020-07-17T22:09:54.389-06:00The Paper Daughters of Chinatown: Book Club Kit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JBkqYhcXyFs/XxJ1reWERVI/AAAAAAAAuE0/Msy-f5FB5BQgESbtqY7t8uLVTRrx63NhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Meme%2BBooklist%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JBkqYhcXyFs/XxJ1reWERVI/AAAAAAAAuE0/Msy-f5FB5BQgESbtqY7t8uLVTRrx63NhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Meme%2BBooklist%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Sign up <a href="https://forms.gle/Dp1z3ECrKFiccar49">here for the Book Club Kit</a>, and I'll email it to you on release week (September 1, 2020).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5V7GuOiQJVM/XxJ14vCJ1HI/AAAAAAAAuE4/Gmhxydx1YYM8JaNQ2u5l68x3Wap_zltowCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Paper%2BDaughters%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1066" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5V7GuOiQJVM/XxJ14vCJ1HI/AAAAAAAAuE4/Gmhxydx1YYM8JaNQ2u5l68x3Wap_zltowCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Paper%2BDaughters%2Bcover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-49973834389262077202020-02-25T07:12:00.001-07:002020-02-25T07:12:21.178-07:00Pine Valley series all on Audible!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wrpkbt_PQ9w/XlUqgFqMPvI/AAAAAAAAojg/BptL_MFTNSksBC_ILLsEZWkWgFfZaHFAQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Pine%2Bvalley%2Bseries%2Baudible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wrpkbt_PQ9w/XlUqgFqMPvI/AAAAAAAAojg/BptL_MFTNSksBC_ILLsEZWkWgFfZaHFAQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Pine%2Bvalley%2Bseries%2Baudible.jpg" width="472" /></a></div>
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<br />
Yes, that's right! All 8 of the Pine Valley novels are now available on Audible! Book 1-4 are narrated by Ann Marie Gideon, and books 5-8 are narrated by Xe Sands. <a href="https://amzn.to/2Vq9kjc">Check out the series page here.</a>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-10716957393617160942020-02-06T20:44:00.000-07:002020-02-25T11:52:38.539-07:00Cover Reveal: The Paper Daughters of Chinatown <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QLoLpJR3ZZU/XjzcuXYTvAI/AAAAAAAAnqY/4tXPnnnqQ8A6Z8Mo_ZE8RsKCXcqcSQaDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Paper%2BDaughters%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1066" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QLoLpJR3ZZU/XjzcuXYTvAI/AAAAAAAAnqY/4tXPnnnqQ8A6Z8Mo_ZE8RsKCXcqcSQaDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Paper%2BDaughters%2Bcover.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Paper Daughters
of Chinatown</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">By Heather B.
Moore<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coming September
1, 2020 from Shadow Mountain<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pre-order on <a href="https://amzn.to/38ZPWPM">Amazon </a>or <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-paper-daughters-of-chinatown-heather-b-moore/1136455217?ean=9781629727820">Barnes & Noble</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Author
Reflections:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When Heidi Taylor and Lisa Mangum
sent me this story idea in fall of 2018, I had no idea the breathtaking journey
I’d undertake through researching the life of Donaldina Cameron. I’d never
heard specifically about Miss Cameron or her work, in conjunction with diligent
staff members of the Occidental Mission Home for Girls, of thwarting the slave
trade of Chinatown. Yet each day, in fact, every hour, I was drawn deeper into
the remarkable life of a woman who personified a life of sacrifice and bringing
hope to the downtrodden women and girls of San Francisco. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">With several non-fiction, and even
a couple of historical novels, published on Donaldina’s life, I debated what I
could add, if anything, to a woman who truly deserves a multi-volume treatment.
I finally settled on an approximate thirteen year period, starting with the day
she arrived at the Mission Home. With the encouragement of my publisher, Shadow
Mountain, and my agent Ann Leslie Tuttle, I cracked open the reference books,
spending weeks reading and taking notes. The notes section grew to over eighty
pages, and I knew I could spend months, even years, reading everything recorded
on Donaldina. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But I had a deadline, and I needed
to focus on my goal of bringing a part of Miss Cameron’s life to the forefront
so that readers could find inspiration and hope in her story, just as I had.
Writing historical fiction has been a joy of mine for many years, but writing <i>The
Paper Daughters of Chinatown</i> took me into the dregs of the underworld of
the dark beast of human trafficking. A twisted and corrupt practice that is
hard to comprehend, yet women like Donaldina Cameron, did not close their eyes
or turn their backs. They put their trust in the Lord, walked right into the
fray, literally risking their lives time and time again, and changed lives
forever. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It did not matter how much I read,
or how much I uncovered, my heart was broken over and over at the stories and
experiences. But time and time again, Miss Cameron triumphed when her rescued
girls triumphed, building a new life and shedding the old. By the time
Donaldina Cameron retired, it was estimated she’d aided in rescuing over 3,000
girls and women from human trafficking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the Gospel of Matthew, the
Savior delivers the Sermon on the Mount. He outlines the beatitudes, or
attributes, that are principles on the path to exaltation. As I read through
them around the same time I was researching Donaldina’s life, I realized she
had achieved each and every single one. She was poor in spirit, she mourned,
she was meek, she did hunger and thirst after righteousness, she was merciful,
she was pure in heart, she was a peacemaker, she was persecuted for
righteousness’ sake, she was reviled against, and all manner of evil was spoken
against her. She became a light unto the world, and her good works glorified
the Father. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It is my humble wish, that my dear
readers will come to know the remarkable woman who Donaldina Cameron became, as
well as bring new understanding to the plights that women such as Tien Fuh Wu
underwent in order to bring freedom from oppression and slavery to those caught
in the web of human trafficking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Occidental Mission Home for
Girls is still in operation today, renamed the Cameron House, in honor of Donaldina
Cameron. The Cameron House serves as a community center and provides various
community programs and services. “<span style="background: white; color: black;">As part of Donaldina’s heritage, we are proud to offer
services like: counseling; domestic violence intervention; food distribution;
adult ESL and computer classes; support groups; youth afterschool and summer
programs; sports, arts, and camping experiences; leadership development; and
volunteer opportunities. Today we serve over 1,000 low-income immigrant
children and families.</span></span>” <a href="https://cameronhouse.org/">https://cameronhouse.org/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Visit my Pinterest Board for photos from my visit to the Cameron House in San Francisco: </div>
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/heatherbmoore3/the-paper-daughters-of-chinatown/">https://www.pinterest.com/heatherbmoore3/the-paper-daughters-of-chinatown/</a></div>
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<br />Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-84025238267832319572020-01-02T20:25:00.001-07:002020-01-02T20:26:21.274-07:00Swoony Sports Romances: Hockey!I'm in the thick of my #NorthbrookHockeyElite series that I co-created with Rebecca Connolly and Sophia Summers (also writes under Jen Geigle Johnson).<br />
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I've developed a new appreciation for hockey. My kids have played almost every sport except hockey, but I'm learning the game, and loving it.</div>
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Check out <a href="https://amzn.to/2Vkx7kx">the series on Amazon</a> and let me know what you think!</div>
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Also, join the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SwoonySportsRomances/?modal=admin_todo_tour">Swoony Sports Romance page on Facebook </a>for updates and interactions with the authors!</div>
Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-63195621174821094812019-09-01T20:46:00.000-06:002019-09-01T21:31:56.120-06:00Deborah the Judge of Israel <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RfU8IY-MY78/XWX5wMwvS3I/AAAAAAAAe6E/pZoKrQviOJsoZA03q3nT-7wLW9TisjReQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Deborah_COVER%2BSAMPLE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1066" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RfU8IY-MY78/XWX5wMwvS3I/AAAAAAAAe6E/pZoKrQviOJsoZA03q3nT-7wLW9TisjReQCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Deborah_COVER%2BSAMPLE.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://amzn.to/2INJxMW">Amazon link here</a></div>
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On the day of this book's release, I've been thinking a lot about Deborah and what her life might have been like. Yes, I spent several months researching and writing about her era, and her possible life journey in 2018 before submitting the manuscript to my publisher Covenant Communications, but a personal reflection is always different.<br />
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When researching and writing about a historical figure in history, there are many factors to consider. One of them being what would this person's life been like? In Deborah's case, she was a remarkable person, and woman, for her era. Her title: Fourth Judge of Israel, illuminates that fact alone. It also makes me wonder. Did Deborah read? Did she write? Was she informally educated? It would have been a rare thing in her era because education of women wasn't considered necessary.<br />
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How did she achieve such a status as judge over the Israelites? Remember at the time, they were under Canaanite rule, so being a judge figure, or a governor of sorts, would have had many restrictions due to the ruling body of the land.<br />
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But Deborah was used to restrictions, being a woman, and practicing her faith.<br />
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We know her husband's name, Lapidoth, and I also wonder what sort of man was he. Also, unusual for the era, he would have supported his wife's commission and calling. And yes, I believe it was from the Lord. Deborah was a prophetess, and she spent her days while she was a judge handing down advice and judgments and possibly enacting the laws of the land. All with the support of her husband, and if they had children, her children as well.<br />
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Details in the scriptures are a bit hazy on many facts. But one significant one remains. Barak had been told by the Lord what he needed to do to deliver the Israelites from the Canaanites. He didn't follow through, and the reasons are unknown, although I present a few plausible ideas in my story. So, what happens then? The Lord shares the same revelation with Deborah.<br />
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This in and of itself is remarkable, and Barak knows it too. He wants to follow the Lord, he wants to deliver his people from decades of oppression, but something stops him. Fear? Motivation? Lack of faith? He tells Deborah if she will accompany him, then he will step up.<br />
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Many times in my life I have been Barak. Fewer times I have been Deborah. As a Barak, I know what I must do, and I might even know how to do it. But I don't.<br />
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What about you? Have you been on the Deborah side before? Or the Barak side before?<br />
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It's something to think about.<br />
<br />Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268140710115533820.post-87603635451262008912019-08-27T21:57:00.001-06:002019-08-27T22:00:29.100-06:00September 2019 ReleasesAs the publishing world sometimes operates, I have three new releases in September.<br />
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First up, is <b>Deborah--Prophetess of God</b>, coming September 1:<br />
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Next is a historical western romance collection based on true events, called <b>Mercer's Belles. </b>Coming September 17. <span style="text-align: center;">Get your copy on </span><a href="https://amzn.to/31x1TZp" style="text-align: center;">Amazon here</a><span style="text-align: center;">!</span></div>
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And finally, I've been working on a series with Kimberley Montpetit, called <b>The Women of Ambrose Estate</b>. </div>
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<b>Mostly Dangerous </b>by Kimberley Montpetit is <a href="https://amzn.to/2NmlFTu">available now on Amazon</a>:</div>
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<b>Mostly Perfect </b>by Heather B. Moore releases September 26 <a href="https://amzn.to/2Z8cMnx">on Amazon:</a></div>
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Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.com0