I hope you take a look at my newest book, “The Torment.” It is a sequel to “The Gift” and the first time I’ve written a sequel. The character of Brendan, introduced at the end of “The Gift” caught my attention and I felt compelled to tell his story. I’m not really sure why I couldn’t shake Brendan but I have a confession to make. I’m a priest-lover. In my other career, I have had the opportunity to work with several religious-retired and I have yet to meet a priest I didn’t like. I’m fascinated by the choices that they make and the grace and dignity with which they face health crises. In my newest book, Brendan tells Angelina that he became a priest because his father had wanted him to, having been denied his own desire to enter the priesthood due to family responsibilities. This was the true story of one of my patients, a retired priest, who was quite content with his choice in vocation. His father, had been the one who had really wanted to be a priest but he was called upon to help support the mother and siblings by taking over the family business. My patient, and all of his siblings, entered the religious life almost as an homage to their father who had died early in life. Again, the man I knew loved his life and had no regrets but I went a different direction with Brendan. I had some difficulties with his character development, I must admit. Brendan suffers from an addiction which prevents him from forming relationships and I had to do several re-writes to make sure that he remained strong and masculine in the face of his weaknesses. It will always amaze me how just one word or one phrase can entirely change the perception of the character. I hope you enjoy “The Torment” and keep your eyes peeled for the third in “The Gift” series, coming soon!
Monthly Archives: September 2015
Meet me at the Bijou….
I saw a great movie tonight, Christian Petzold’s Phoenix. It’s set in post-war Germany and tells the story of a concentration camp survivor. It was well-acted, heart-wrenching, and had the perfect ending. I really love movies. Some people like to go out to eat at over-priced restaurants or dance the night away at nightclubs, but I’m an easy date. Just plop me in front of the big screen—as a matter of fact, I’m just as happy in front of the small screen with Netflix—and you’ve guaranteed me a great evening. I will admit, though, I am one of those annoying people that says, “It wasn’t as good as the book” when the movie is based on a novel. It makes me wonder: if I am ever lucky enough to have somebody want to adapt one of my books into a movie, would I even be able to go watch it? Would I be able to accept the changes that are necessary when adapting a book to film? Would I hate the choices of actors and actresses? When I wrote Wait For Me several years ago, I knew exactly who I wanted to play Kevin. I had seen Jim Caviezel in a movie called Frequency and he was who I saw in my head while I developed Kevin’s character. Well, that movie is 15 years old and while I still love Jim Caviezel, he is now in this mid-forties and is outpacing the chances of my book being made into a movie anytime soon. Stephen King has made no secret of how much he hates Stanley Kubrick’s version of The Shining and for anyone who has ever seem the film, you might think he’s crazy. It’s a classic. As a writer, though, I get it. Kubrick didn’t carry out King’s vision. He saw something different and King felt betrayed, I’m guessing. Someone met his baby and totally didn’t understand it. To make things worse, the world loved Kubrick’s version of King’s baby. Ouch. I would have felt the same way. So, if any of my books ever become movies and you notice a middle-aged redhead leaving the theater early, you’ll understand.
Sandy Huth 