Check out Goodreads here to read my exclusive insider notes on the highlights that Kindle readers have marked!
And my book The Paper Daughters of Chinatown is currently in the semi-finals for the #GoodreadsChoice awards in the Historical Fiction category. Vote on Goodreads by November 15!
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.
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!
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.
“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).
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 Chinatown’s Angry Angel
by Mildred Martin, 46).
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.
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.
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.
Here is our submission letter. If all goes well, we'll see a release in time for Mother's Day 2021:
Dear [editor],
Angela Eschler and I are thrilled to submit our non-fiction book, with the working title of: The Sermon on the Mount – Insights for Women. In a similar vein to our previous book, Christ’s Gifts to Women, we are envisioning an illustrated gift book with an introduction, and eight sections, each covering a beatitude.
Summary:
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 . . .”
Happy are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Happy are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
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.
We look forward to hearing from you,
Heather & Angela
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 The Paper Daughters of Chinatown. You can download the PDF directly from my website here.
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 Pinterest board for the book here.
Here is part of my introduction:
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.
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.
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.
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.
