MEMORIES OF MY FATHER ON FATHER'S DAY

Dad, foreground, at a birthday party for Becky, 2017. And yes, unless he used Grecian Formula without my knowledge, that was my Dad's hair color a month from his 84th birthday.
Photo courtesy of Pam Hall

A question just popped into my mind a few minutes ago: Did any of the classic horror actors (Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Sr. or Jr., Vincent Price) ever get an Oscar nomination? And what does this question have to do with anything? I'll get to that.

I should have started with wishing you all a Happy Father's Day. And I'd like to take the opportunity to remember my Dad, who passed away September 23, 2019, at age 86.

I grew up in Fullerton, CA for the first 9 years of my life. Then, he seemed to disappear. A month later, Mom sent me to stay with his parents in Skull Valley, AZ (a lot smaller than Fullerton), who took care of foster children at that time, meaning I went from being an only child to second oldest of a half-dozen, three of those Native American. (By the way, I never knew my maternal grandparents.) 

Dad moved to Skull Valley around Easter time, and after landing a job as a radio announcer/DJ, he worked at different radio stations, mostly at KVIO in Cottonwood. He did leave that station for Needles, CA, followed by Kingman, AZ (2.5 months total between those stations) and then returned to Cottonwood. (The person who took his place at KVIO didn't stay, so Dad returned there after a 6 months absense). One memory I had was riding with him as we moved back to Cottonwood, and he told me that I had nothing to do with his and mom's divorce (which had never crossed my mind, but I might be in the minority of how most kids deal with a divorce). 

Those who knew my dad late in his life knew he showed movies at the Senior apartments he stayed in from '07 to '18. That was part of our lives. While in Fullerton, Dad and I saw movies together from those more in my interest (e.g. "Hey There, It's Yogi Bear" and "Yellow Submarine") to those more his type (such as "Fantastic  Voyage" and "The Day The Earth Stood Still." This continued through till Becky and I moved from California in '84. The radio station employees had a pass to Cottonwood's movie theater/drive-in. While he was married to my step-mom, we went to movies a lot, but he would take the older of my two younger stepsisters to John Wayne movies since she was a John Wayne fan, and he was excited when "Cinderella" came to the drive-in so he could take my youngest stepsister. (BTW, my step-mom had four daughters with a 12 year gap between the second and third, and I fit right in the middle of that gap.) One year, Dad got me a book with all the movies of Boris Karloff (and a John Wayne book for my step-sister). Since then, I've seen several movies of Boris Karloff. Which is where the question I asked came about. I did once ask him who was the better actor between Karloff, Lugosi, and Chaney Jr. (and Dad's answer was in that order).

One thing I remember is he was encouraging me to do what interested me. There was only exception: When I got home after armed-services day my senior year at high school interested in the military, Dad did his best to nip that in the bud fast. (I know my grandfather on Dad's side was too young for WWI and too old for WWII; Dad would have been the age for the Korean War, and I don't know why he wasn't drafted, unless it was an educational deferrment.)

I remember Dad telling me how the movie version of a couple of Agatha Christie Stories ("And Then There Was None" and "Witness For the Prosecution") varied from the original stories. A couple of years ago, I read her "Mousetrap and Other Plays," where the introduction said she didn't like some of the renditions of her stories because... they stayed too close to the original. In that 8 play collection, three were based on Poirot mysteries except Poroit wasn't in any of those plays. I came to the conclusion that it was Christie who changed the endings of those plays. I wish I had the chance to ask Dad about his opinion on that.
 

Don't remember the year, but I think it was in winter!

BOOK REVIEW - CAPTURED AT CHRISTMAS BY JODIE BAILEY

 What's wrong with Captain Marshall Slater inviting his unit to his home for Christmas dinner? Besides the fact that Captain Rachel Blake suspects one of his soldiers is stealing national secrets and is threatening him and his five year old daughter?

Jodie Bailey's Captured at Christmas is a thrilling romantic suspense with three dimensional characters you care about and a story full of plot twists and other surprises. 

I highly recommend reading this book at approximately Christmas time - "approximately" meaning from six months prior to Christmas to six months following.

 

INTERVIEW WITH NOVELIST JODIE BAILEY

 

I've had the honor of interviewing several great novelists, including some of my favorites. On that list of favorites is Jodie Bailey. I was hooked on Dead Run, the first novel I read by her. Since then, I've had the honor of reading Compromised Identity, Mistaken Twin, Crossfire, Canyon Standoff ( with Valerie Hansen: a pair of novellas set at the Grand Canyon, not far from where I grew up), Fatal Identity (my favorite so far), and Deadly Cargo.

JR: Welcome to my blog, Jodie. It might be a cliche question in an author interview, but how did you get interested in writing?

JB: I can’t remember not writing. In elementary school, I used my grandmother’s typewriter so much that she bought me my own and, when she passed away, we found a drawer full of stories I’d typed on it. It’s something that’s always been in me and that I’ve always loved, though I never considered doing it as a career until I was 34. I was in a Bible study thinking, “Wow, how cool would it be to write about God as a job?” And it felt like he went, “Duh, girl. Why do you think you love writing so much? It’s about time you figured this out.”😀

JR: One thing I love about your novels is the how you work your faith thread organically into your stories. How did you come to faith in Christ, and how do you work your faith into your novels so effectively?

JB: First, how do I work my faith in? I don’t. I firmly believe that whatever is in you finds its way out. It comes through as an organic part of the story and the characters’ lives. I was blessed to grow up with a mother who didn’t only see God in certain places. She taught me that God is everywhere, all the time. I was young when I accepted Christ and He has always been a part of my life, but it has been very much like climbing a ladder. He is constantly growing me and changing me. I’ve had moments of doubt and of sliding, but He has always been so faithful to remind me that He loves me, and that will never change.

JR: In a couple of your books, you mention that your characters told you things about themselves. Could you tell us about interviewing characters for your stories?

JB: I sit and stare. A lot. I love music, so I think about what songs they might like. I picked up a method from Susan May Warren a couple of years ago, one that my friend Heidi told me about. I start with their darkest past moment, the worse moment of their lives. I look at how they overcame that and how they can keep growing from it. The story builds from there. It’s sometimes at our lowest that we see Jesus the most clearly, so that also helps with their faith journey. But sometimes, no matter how much I think I know them, they tell me something while I’m typing that I never saw coming. That’s when it gets fun.

JR: The most recent book I've read of yours was Deadly Cargo, part 5 of 8 in the Alaska K-9 Unity series, written by other authors, including a couple I've previously interviewed, Terri Reed and Laura Scott. First, what adjustments did you make in working with the other authors for this series. Second, out of curiosity, how much interaction and community is there with other authors, especially among those regularly featured by Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense?

JB: That was so much fun! And also some hard work! There were ten of us, I believe, ultimately writing that series. We had a giant email loop and were constantly asking questions and adding tidbits to each other’s stories. (The scene with the harmonica is one example…) Those comments and conversations added a lot of richness to our characters, I think. As for community, many of us know each other online, mostly through Facebook and email, where we talk and encourage and pray for one another. It’s a great group to be a part of.

JR: Besides faith, a lot of your stories have heroes who are in the military. Did you have background with the military? How does that help you deal with spiritual warfare?

JB: I grew up near a military base with ZERO connection. I just swore I’d never marry a soldier, not after knowing how much they owed and how the job can be. Uhm, don’t tell God what you won’t do. I married a soldier. :-) And I’m so blessed that I did. He’s incredible. We moved a lot. I learned to live without him when he was deployed or away training, and it made his returns special every time, because it reminded me how blessed I am to have him. 

As for spiritual warfare, it definitely puts a “face” to it, so to speak. Unless people are somehow connected to the military, they really have no idea what it actually looks like. We think of spiritual warfare as a full frontal assault every moment, sometimes, but it can often be an insidious sneak attack. A gradual wearing down. Sometimes our enemy is out front, guns blazing, thick of battle. Other times he’s close, pulling strings or lobbing smaller assaults that might go largely unnoticed. We need to recognize it and to have a plan off attack ready.

JR: Thank you for your time. What other novels do you have coming out? Any other news, and how can we keep up with your stories?

JB: There is always another novel coming out! Witness in Peril just released, which was a fun story that takes place in and around the Grand Canyon. In August, I have another K-9 continuity in the Rocky Mountain K-9 series, Defending from Danger. After that is Blown Cover, about an undercover agent who comes face to face with the ex-partner who betrayed her. I’m also working on two more books as we speak. There are always words going on the page! Updates are on my website, jodiebailey.com. Thanks for inviting me to chat! This has been fun!

BOOK REVIEW: FAITH SEEKING FREEDOM BY DR. NORMAN HORN, DOUG STUART, KERRY BALDWIN, AND DICK CLARK

 

 

I remember a few years ago a debate on Julie Roys' Up For Debate program about whether Christianity and Libertarianism were compatible between Dr. Al Mohler, president of The Southern Theological Seminary and Dr. Norman Horn of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Any guesses which of the two took the pro-Libertarian side? Normally, I tend to agree with Mohler, but not on that subject.

Faith Seeking Freedom: Libertarian Christian Answers to Tough Questions, published by the Libertarian Christian Institute, is a well-researched and well-reasoned book showing the compatibility between a Libertarian political philosophy and the Christian faith.

This book is written by Dr. Norman Horn, Doug Stuart, Kerry Baldwin, and Dick Clark (though I doubt the author was the host for American Bandstand). The writing appears to be a team effort - there is no section where it designates which of the four wrote any section nor any first-person singular comments by one of the authors. (There are two places where one or two of the authors are mentioned by name, but it is worded in the third person.)

What does this book talk about? Or better yet, what does it NOT talk about? The authors answer questions on abortion (the longest chapter in this short book), patriotism, military service, capitalism, socialism, the war on drugs, prohibition, immigration, and misconceptions of libertarianism. There are areas where I disagree with the authors, but it gives something to think about.

Allow me to add some nit-picking. The first is the cover comment from the Honorable Andrew P. Napolitano, that this book is "Utterly faithful to Christian doctrine." My opinion? That quote is overkill. First, I think Judge Napolitano would be considered an expert on law and politics, but I would not put him in that category on theology. I would listen more if that quote was from someone like John MacArthur or Charles Stanley or Michael Youseff or Kay Arthur. Second, I would not consider this book to deal with doctrine or Orthodoxy, but rather Orthopraxy (right living). Most branches of theology, including Christology and Soterology and Ecclesiology, are absent from this book. However, to take the blurb to say this book is faithful to Christian living, I would have no argument.

The other gripe is there are times where the authors are solid on issues that I would give more leeway to. One is whether a Christian should be in the military. The authors make a good argument to seek other options of service, as well as that being a historical perspective, but is it an accident the Holy Spirit inspired Paul and others to use being a soldier as an example of Christian life? The other is immigration. I do believe that Christians should be in favor of legal immigration, but this book seems to advocate open borders. As I said, though, these are minor quibbles.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about Libertarianism, and especially a Christian who isn't familiar with that philosophy. I'd also recommend it to a Libertarian minded individual who needs help dealing with questions that are asked. In other words, it is an aid for Libertarians to be able to give a defense for the hope that is withing them (1 Peter 3:15).