Francine Rivers's Blog, page 34
October 17, 2011
Costa Rica
After another relaxing day at sea, we arrived at Puntarenas, Costa Rica, early in the morning. We gathered downstairs in the Universe Lounge to await our instructions to disembark and meet up with our tour guide. Andre proved to be a hoot. He talked non-stop for the five hour tour, regaling us with stories of life in Costa Rica. Some of those stories left a few of us (including me!) wondering if he was pulling our leg.
October 14, 2011
Guatemala
After four soothing days on the blue Pacific, the Island Princess pulled into Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, "the land of trees". The air was sultry, just the way I like it. Rick and I embarked on a day trip to Antigua, an UNESCO World Heritage site surrounded by mountains. On the drive up, we passed two volcanoes and saw another in the distance with a plume of smoke. If you're interested in seeing volcanoes, forget Hawaii. Come to Guatemala where there are thirty-seven!
October 12, 2011
Sea Days
When Rick and I were offered the opportunity to take a dream trip through the Panama Canal, we jumped at it. Now, on board the Island Princess ship sailing south from Los Angeles, we've settled into our room, unpacked our bags and stowed them under the bed, and are enjoying the warm, salt sea air.
October 7, 2011
Redeeming Love the Movie
I love movies. Rick and I have quite a collection. While it may shock some, we enjoy old horror movies like "The Blob" (Steve McQueen version), "War of the Worlds" (Gene Barry version), "The Creature from the Black Lagoon", "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (Michael Renny). I added "Eight-Legged Freaks" a few years ago, and shocked my children when I laughed at people being overrun by thousands of spiders, some with eyes like motorcycle goggles. Trapdoor spiders grabbed ostriches. And a DJ screeched about aliens.
September 30, 2011
Would I Change the Ending?
Would I change the ending?
A number of readers want to know why I stripped Angel at the end of the story. There is a simple answer to this and a more complex one. The simple answer is I wanted Angel to be like Eve before she offered the fruit to Adam, naked and right with God. When I accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, I entered into a relationship with God that was like the one in the Garden. I entered into a personal relationship. I could walk with Him and talk with Him and hear His quiet voice through Scripture.
September 23, 2011
Do I know any Michael Hoseas?
My husband became a Michael Hosea. In a sense, so did I. Neither of us were Christians when we married, and we struggled. We had very high highs and very low lows. Think of a roller coaster ride and you get some idea. We were on the edge of divorce when I found a church that showed me Jesus. Soon after, Rick met Him, too. Rick and I were baptized on the same day. Things began to change from that time forward. We've been married 41 years and each year is a blessing.
September 16, 2011
Redeeming Love's Most Difficult Section
When I first started writing Redeeming Love, I thought about beginning the book when Angel was already a prostitute living in a brothel in Pair-a-Dice. I realized quickly that readers would not empathize with Angel unless they knew her back story and how she came to be so blind and stubbornly resistant to the love being offered.
September 9, 2011
Reader Response to Redeeming Love
When I'm asked what responses I've received from readers, I am always cautious in answering. For one thing, many of the letters I've received are extremely personal and come from wells of pain and suffering.
I've had letters from men and women who have experienced all manner of abuse. Some events happened during childhood, others continue to experience suffering in their marriages and relationships. Some readers identify with Michael, suffering over the infidelity of a beloved spouse. Others identify with Angel and her horrifying childhood.
August 31, 2011
Why did I set Redeeming Love in the Old West?
I set Redeeming Love in the California Gold Rush period because all of my previous historical romances had been set in California between the years of 1840 to 1880.
August 26, 2011
Feeling Exposed
One question that comes up frequently is how I feel about exposing so much of my personal life and my past sins, through my writing. Although I wasn't a prostitute, I gave myself away and experienced the heartache and emptiness of misplaced love. I also experienced the horrendous consequences, along with the shame and guilt of certain decisions (abortion; addressed in The Atonement Child).
