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Sunday, April 10, 2011
This post stars a handsome atheist, a
miraculous monastery, a doomed manuscript, and a message in a bottle.
Author: that flicker of soul that insists on faith when all is
lost.
Ink: hope.
Messenger:
ocean.
Delivery method: chance.
Estimated
time of arrival: eternity.
I'm
trying to publish a book.
Here's the story.
In 2005, I was wrestling with the big, hard questions. I
hitchhiked to a remote, Cistercian monastery, surrounded by forest.
The retreat was one of the most magical weeks of my life.
I came back with even bigger, harder, questions.
Holy Cross Monastery. Source
On my quest I came in contact with the work of an atheist …
and that's all I'll say about him. He knows about my book, and jokes that he
wants to play himself in the movie version, but I will not reveal his identity.
Back in 2005, the "little voice" said, "You
must contact this man."
I replied, "Huh?"
But the little voice would not
shut up.
So I googled the atheist. Got an e-mail
address. Wrote him. And thought, that's it.
Within three
minutes, he wrote back.
His e-mail knocked me off my
chair.
That something that you see across a crowded
room.
I wrote back. He wrote back. I wrote back. He
wrote back. I wrote back. He wrote back.
You get the picture.
Our e-mails:
"Is there a God?"
"What did you have for breakfast?"
"Why be Christian?"
"Pancakes are
fattening."
"I also did aerobics."
"How to explain suffering?"
"Here's
my best shot."
"I want to kiss you."
"Uh, oh … I want to kiss you, too!"
"Save Send Delete" is the name of my book based on
this story.
***
I sent excerpts
from "Save Send Delete" to some writers.
Robert
Ellsberg, author of "All
Saints," said, "I was very affected by the love story…The last
twenty pages really had me biting my nails ... Your work reminds me of Etty Hillesum."
Francis
S. Collins, who decoded the human genome, author of "The
Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief," said, "engaging
and colorfully written."
Larry Dossey, a physician
who writes about prayer and the
power of premonitions, said, "You are obviously a gifted, talented
writer."
All three of these men recommended
"Save Send Delete" to their agents.
All three agents
said no go. She's not famous; the book is unconventional.
I've submitted "Save Send Delete" to every agent / publisher /
editor I can find.
"Well-written."
"Unconventional."
"You're
not famous and the market is tough."
Literary publishers
send really hostile rejections. They won't even look at a book with any
Christian content.
Christian publishers say "You
can't use the word 'blowjob' in a Christian book."
So,
right now, "Save Send Delete" is dead.
"Marooned" by Howard Pyle. Source
I'm posting this message in a bottle. Maybe the tides will
direct it toward a publisher, an agent, someone, anyone.
Robin Schaffer, a marketer and business writer,
Jewish, read the book. She loved it so much she wrote her own query letter:
"I have no interest in Christian books, but I'm
interested in the experience of a Christian character – especially in the
interplay between a Christian character and an atheist.
The
debate in 'Save Send Delete' is certainly thought-provoking as these two fine
minds battle through the classic arguments about God. But what emerges from
these eternal questions is not so much about God, but what faith means to us,
and ultimately, what we mean to each other.
The book is
rich with Mira's stories of astounding experiences. She reveals gut-level
emotions and her inner struggles to live fully and honestly in the face of
extraordinarily difficult conditions. She describes experiences so profound, so
holy, they force us to confront our beliefs in what is true and possible.
Mira is a character to be loved. Brilliant, sensitive,
sharp-witted, strong, adventurous, flawed, alienated.
Her
relationship with the atheist evolves to become the kind of rare connection few
experience. He hears her, he understands her, he is supportive, he challenges
her ideas, he makes her more of herself. The book is in essence a love story.
The writing is exquisite. The sentences are delicious. The
language is beautiful.
There are pages of this
manuscript that I want to highlight and keep close to me on my nightstand. It
is filled with wisdom from sources I don't normally draw from: the Bible,
Twelve Step programs, and mostly, the wisdom of Mira.
I
was one of the millions of people who read and adored Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Eat,
Pray, Love'. I've found myself comparing the two works, and 'Save Send Delete'
strikes many of the same deep chords, and strikes them more fully. It touches
the same longing for meaning that seems to be everywhere.
'Save Send Delete' is a rare gem. An intellectual and spiritual debate, a
captivating perspective on humanity, and a love story, all conveyed in stunning
language. It will be loved by many."
***
And so this message in a bottle. Odds of a billion to one are
better than no odds at all. Maybe just maybe someone who knows someone – an
agent, a publisher willing to take a chance – maybe.
An
excerpt from "Save Send Delete" was published in "Conspire"
magazine.
"Save Send Delete" is most like my
previously published essay, "Political Paralysis."
You can read the "Save Send Delete" excerpt here.
You can read "Political Paralysis" here.
Photo courtesy Anthony Gould
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