What we had were books.
Books came in two basic formats back then—print and audio. Only in our case, the audio formats were not performed by professional voice talent and recorded for anyone else to hear. They were performed live, usually just before bedtime, or on a day when winter blizzards kept us inside. The readers were typically parents, grandparents, or older siblings. In spite of their amateur status as readers, the experience was magical and totally enchanting.
It was my father who most frequently read to me, my brothers, and my sister at night. My love of books came as much from those countless hours of listening to his voice as it did from going to the library (nearly a two-mile walk each way) and coming back with an armload of books. As I have never taken a formal writing class, I must attribute any skills I acquired as a writer to the thousands of books I read or heard in my childhood.
When my wife and I married and began a family of our own, we continued the tradition of reading in our home. She often read to the children during the daytime, but bedtime stories were my responsibility, and one I warmly welcomed. It was a favorite time of day for me.
Then, about forty years ago, something happened to alter the pattern. I can’t remember exactly what triggered it, but one night, I decided that rather than reading a story to them, I would make one up. The kids thought that sounded immensely fun and agreed to the plan instantly.
For some time, I had had this character in my head. It was a girl in her midteens—spunky, lively, a touch feisty—whose name was Carruthers Thompson. It was a name she detested, so she insisted on being called Carrie. I cannot for the life of me remember how I came up with that name, but it intrigued me, and she became the main character of the story.
I gave her a family, a background, and a conflict—a gang of criminals who tried to kidnap her and her younger brother and hold them for ransom. To give a touch of mystery to it all, just before the crisis hit, Carruthers came into possession of a magical pouch that did marvelous things, but was completely unpredictable.
That is the genesis of this book.
I never finished the story for my children. We were living in Southern California and my work with the Church Educational System often took me away at night. Eventually, the story just faded away. From time to time over the years, my children would bring up Carruthers, and we’d return to it briefly, but it never went much further than that. Finally, because I still liked the idea, I wrote a brief synopsis of the concept and put it in my “idea” file. And there it languished for the next thirty-five or so years while I wrote eighteen other novels.
Then, one night in November 2011, while I was in the midst of doing research on another possible historical novel, Carruthers’s name popped into my mind almost like the proverbial bolt out of the blue. “Popped” is probably too weak a word. It came with such forcefulness that I could not put it from my mind.
I hadn’t seriously considered her story for years, so this was a surprise to me. But even though I was engaged in something else, I found my old affection for her and her story stronger than ever. After a day or two, I decided it was time to finally bring Carruthers back to life. Carruthers Thompson became Carruthers McAllister, and her nickname became Danni rather than Carrie.
Once I committed to give Carruthers a full voice and life, I recognized immediately that I had a unique challenge. Danni is in her teens, and I am in my seventies. I had to rely heavily on those who are closer to the real life and language of today’s modern teens than I am. Those included a couple of trusted friends, several of my daughters and daughters-in-law, and more than half a dozen of my grandchildren, who are experiencing all of the joy, frustration, angst, and wonder of being teenagers. Their input was invaluable in giving Carruthers life and validity. Learning “teen speak” was a growing and fun experience for me as well.
To them I express my love, my thanks, and my amazement at what they are and who they are in a world that grows increasingly more challenging for their generation.
It has taken four long decades, but now at long last I have finally fulfilled my promise to tell Carruthers’s story. Happily, I can now introduce Carruthers to my children’s children, and to their children’s children’s children.
There are so many people who contribute their support, time, effort, and talents to a work as complex as a novel. I acknowledge with gratitude those whose influence will be seen and felt—if not recognized—in the novel. Their help has greatly strengthened the story and added to the quality of the finished book.
The staff at Deseret Book has been in partnership with me in writing and publishing for more than forty years now. We have not only developed a strong professional bond filled with mutual respect for each other, but we have become great friends and valued associates.
Other Books By Gerald N. Lund
FICTION
The Alliance
Fire of the Covenant
Freedom Factor
Leverage Point
One in Thine Hand
The Undaunted: The Miracle of the Hole-in-the-Rock Pioneers
SERIES
The Kingdom and the Crown
The Work and the Glory
NONFICTION
The Coming of the Lord
Divine Signatures: The Confirming Hand of the Lord
Hearing the Voice of the Lord:
Principles and Patterns of Personal Revelation
Look Up, My Soul: The Divine Promise of Hope
Jesus Christ: Key to the Plan of Salvation
Personal Revelation:
Receiving and Responding to the Voice of the Lord (talk on CD)
Selected Writings of Gerald N. Lund
Gerald N. Lund, The Guardian
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