Ellen Gable's Blog, page 118

New Amazing Catechists Site Launched Today

The newly-designed Amazing Catechists site is being launched today. Feel free to explore the new site and read some great articles!

My posts and a few cartoons are listed at my columnist link: Amazing Catechists/Ellen Gable Hrkach

In Shepherd's Clothing Book Review

My latest review for Catholic Fiction.net is for a novel entitled "In Shepherd's Clothing" by Mark Matenaer:

The author describes his novel, "In Shepherd's Clothing," as a romantic suspense. The main protagonist is a priest. I suppose I'm naive because I wondered "Who is going to experience the romance in this novel?" I also wondered "Who is the Devil in this story?" It didn't take long to figure out either one.

I groaned when I read the quote by George Carlin at the beginning of the novel: "I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own so both of them together is certain death."

The book starts out with teenaged Frank Crosby taking his four-year-old sister, Angela, to the mall on Christmas Eve. He lets go of her hand for a moment and she vanishes. She is later found murdered. Compelling start. The author had me hooked.

Fast-forward 14 years. Frank is now Fr. Frank, a priest who carries the guilt of losing his sister. He is called in to the local "conservative" cardinal's office. Cardinal Rhuman tells Fr. Frank that he's being sent away from the diocese. The young priest's liberal leanings and practices are just too much for our antagonist Rhuman. Soon we find out that Rhuman and other famous clerics and politicians are members of a secret, exclusive brotherhood purportedly founded by a former pope. The brotherhood is involved in immoral and licentious activity. Rhuman and the other members will stop at nothing to keep the brotherhood secret.

Fr. Frank soon meets Angela (who happens to be the same age and have the same name as his dead sister). She mysteriously shows up at the rectory having just escaped an attempt on her life. Angela has discovered some secret information about the "Brotherhood," and there are many who want her dead because of this. The priest vows to keep her safe in more ways than one.

First the positive: the author's writing style is very, very good and he has a talent for writing fiction. This is what kept me reading. There were some interesting plot lines, turns and twists in the story and, as a reader, I appreciated them and found the book entertaining.

Now the negative: The basic plot was unbelievable. There were times I felt that Frank and Angela were part of a Three Stooges episode. Everywhere they turn, they're being chased and someone's trying to kill them. And while I know there are many liberal priests and nuns, I find it hard to believe that most priests and nuns are as liberal as the characters in this book.

There were numerous typos and grammatical issues that could have been fixed by a competent editor. And the cover is a plain brick red color with white words (this in itself screams "self-published!")

Characters are fairly well-developed although most of the protagonists are liberal Catholics (and yet described in a positive manner) and the antagonist Cardinal Rhuman is supposed to be "conservative" (and obviously evil).

I am the author of four books, so I know and appreciate the blood, sweat and tears that go into writing, editing and publishing a book, especially a novel. And while I applaud the author's excellent and competent writing style, the story and beliefs set forth could confuse some Catholics, especially young adults who might not know their faith well.

Copyright 2011 Ellen Gable Hrkach

God's Surprise Gift

The following is an article I wrote entitled "God's Surprise Gift" which will be published in God Moments III: True Love Leads to Life, to be released next year by Joseph Karl Publishing and was posted to their blog yesterday.

For several days after my mom shared the news, I remained shocked and surprised but very, very happy. My 47-year-old mother was going to have a baby.

One thing was certain: I had never seen my mom so happy. She became a widow at age 44. A short time later, she met and married my stepfather. Although my stepfather had four daughters from his first marriage and my mother had four children from her marriage to my father, neither imagined there would be any children from their union.

The challenges became apparent as soon as she began to tell people. My mom's obstetrician/gynecologist (the same doctor who delivered me 22 years previous) scowled when my mom asked for an "official" pregnancy test, explaining that she had taken an "at home" test and it was positive.

"You're not thinking of having it, are you?"

"Of course I am."

"You can't have it! You have a one in ten risk of having a child with Down Syndrome, not to mention all the abnormalities that come with increased maternal age."

"I want to have this baby."

According to my mom, the doctor continued pushing and pressuring her to have an abortion. However, my mom had always had a strong personality. She didn't back down nor did she acquiesce to his wishes.

Finally, she said, "I'm having this baby."

The doctor replied, "Then you'll have to find another doctor. I won't be delivering it."

When she arrived home, my mom was angry. She spent the next ten minutes yelling and pacing the floor. She was frustrated with the irony of the words "pro choice." She wasn't given any choice but to abort. She eventually found a Catholic pro-life doctor to deliver her baby. Since it had been 20 years since her last pregnancy, there were some concerns and challenges. However, this doctor took very good care of her.

Of course, her previous doctor wasn't the only one who reacted negatively. Some friends and relatives thought my mother and stepfather were crazy to be happy about an "unplanned pregnancy."

"This is obviously an accident," one person commented. My mother's response: "This isn't an accident. It's a surprise. Those are two different things." Another person said, "It was obviously unplanned." My mom would shake her head and say, "Not unplanned, just a surprise."

The day came for my mom to deliver. It was a rainy Tuesday evening. My siblings and I waited outside the delivery room. Finally, we heard a baby crying. We were soon given the news that my mother had given birth to a baby girl. We were thrilled! We had a new baby sister to love, and my mom continued to call her "God's surprise gift."

"God's surprise gift," my youngest sister, is now 30 years old and a novice with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville. Before entering the convent, she worked for many years at a crisis pregnancy center and spent most Saturday mornings praying in front of an abortion clinic.

My mother passed away in 2007. However, our entire family remains grateful that she and my stepfather chose life for my sister. I can't imagine the world without her.

Photo and Text copyright 2011 Ellen Gable Hrkach

Stealing Jenny #1 Kindle Bestseller!!

Today, my third novel, Stealing Jenny, reached Number 1 on Amazon Kindle in Fiction/Drama/Religious Books! Earlier today it reached Number 3 and after an aggressive Twitter campaign, it reached Number 1! Thanks to all who retweeted, shared the link on Facebook or purchased the book!

Famous Self-Published Authors

I'm over at the Catholic Writers Guild Blog today with a post about famous self-published authors.

Are you a self-published author or thinking of becoming one? Well, you are in good company.

Here is a list of authors and the books they self-published:

Remembrance of Things Past, by Marcel Proust; Ulysses, by James Joyce; The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter; The Wealthy Barber, by David Chilton; The Bridges of Madison County by Robert J. Waller; In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters; The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield; The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. (and his student E. B. White); The Joy of Cooking.

Has one of your books ever been rejected by a publisher? Again, you are in good company. Here is a list of books that were rejected by one or more publishers:

Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth – 14 times; Norman Mailer. The Naked and the Dead – 12 times; Patrick Dennis, Auntie Mame – 15 times; George Orwell – Animal Farm; Richard Bach – Jonathan Livingston Seagull – 20 times; Joseph Heller, Catch-22 – 22 times; Mary Higgins Clark, first short story – 40 times; Alex Haley (before Roots) – 200 rejections; John Grisham , A Time to Kill – 15 publishers and 30 agents; Chicken Soup for the Soul – 33 times; Dr. Seuss – 24 times; Louis L'Amour – 200 rejections; Jack London – 600 before his first story; Diary of Anne Frank.

(Thanks to Dan Poynter www.parapublishing.com)

Other famous self-published authors include:

Deepak Chopra, Gertrude Stein, Zane Grey, Upton Sinclair, Carl Sandburg, Ezra Pound, Mark Twain, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Stephen Crane, Bernard Shaw, Anais Nin, Thomas Paine, Virginia Wolff, e.e. Cummings, Edgar Allen Poe, Rudyard Kipling, Henry David Thoreau, Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Alexandre Dumas., William E.B. DuBois, Beatrix Potter.

Read the CWG post in its entirety

Sunday Snippets – November 13

Join me and other Catholic bloggers at RAnn's Place to share posts from the previous week.

Here are my contributions for the week:

Latest Cartoon – Request Backup!

Review of Shirt of Flame by Heather King

Remembering Tony

Remembering Tony

Today is a day we remember those who gave their lives and fought in wars so that we might live in freedom. Last year, I posted about my father in an article entitled "Remembering Dad."

This year, I'd like to share my father-in-law's story. Tony Hrkach (1925-1995) served as a tail gunner in the United States Air Force during the second World War.

Near the end of the war, during a routine mission, Tony's plane was shot down over Yugoslavia (coincidentally, near his father's birthplace). Frantically, he and his buddies parachuted out of the airplane. Unfortunately, however, one of his friends hit the side of a mountain and was killed. Tony and the others made it safely to the ground and were captured as soon as they landed.

They were marched for miles until they reached a POW camp. Remarkably, they found the Germans running the camp to be kind and, while it was not easy to be a prisoner of war, they were treated humanely.

When an announcement came over the radio that Germany had lost the war, their captors immediately handed their weapons and guns over to the Americans. Then, in a strange moment of understanding, they exchanged small personal tokens as reminders of their time together.

"I don't just think of myself as a citizen of the United States; I think of myself as a citizen of the world," he used to say. His idea was that we should remember first and foremost that we are all human beings, especially in time of war.

Like my own father and many other veterans, my father-in-law enjoyed "Hogan's Heroes," the television sitcom from the 1960′s about a German POW camp. The show attempted to put a human spin on such horrific times…the very thing that Tony found in his real experience with the 'enemy.'

While we remember all those who fought in wars so that we may live in freedom, let us also remember that the real enemy isn't necessarily the people we fight against, but the evil circumstances that result from greed, lust and power.

Photo and text copyright Ellen Gable Hrkach

Shirt of Flame: A Year With St. Thérèse

In her book, author Heather King takes the reader on a 12-month journey of reflections on St. Thérèse's "Little Way."

This is a delightful book that can be read over the course of a year or as quickly as you'd like. Each month's chapter has a particular theme and begins with a quote by or about St. Thérèse, reflections and personal experiences shared by the author and ends with a prayer.

I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter. If I were to pick one favorite chapter, however, it would be Chapter 12, December, which is entitled "The Divine Elevator" (On Facing Death With Joy) and I really liked this quote from St. Thérèse (which is also from Story of a Soul): "We're in an age of inventions. Now there's no more need to climb the steps of a staircase. In rich homes, there are elevators that replace stairs to great advantage. I would also like to find an elevator to lift me up to Jesus, because I am too little to climb the rough staircase of perfection…the elevator that must lift me up to heaven is your arms, Jesus! For that I don't need to become big. On the contrary, I have to stay little – may I become little, more and more."

Shirt of Flame is a great read and I enjoyed it very much. I highly recommend this book to those who are searching for the modern relevance of St. Thérèse's Little Way.

Thanks to Paraclete Press for the review copy.

Copyright 2011 Ellen Gable Hrkach

Latest Cartoon – "Request Backup!"

Cartoon copyright 2011 James and Ellen Hrkach/Full Quiver Publishing

Sunday Snippets – November 6

Join me and other Catholic bloggers at RAnn's Place for Sunday Snippets where we share blog posts from the previous week. With traveling and book signings, I've had a quiet week on my blog. Here are my two posts:

A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms by Lisa Hendey I haven't yet received this book, but I've heard so many wonderful things about it. It seems like the ideal book to read for the month of November.

"Second Chances" I contributed a story about my mom in the new book "God Moments II: Recognizing the Fruits of the Holy Spirit."