tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post8840121851119767431..comments2023-09-23T04:56:51.617-07:00Comments on Forensics & Faith: Zondervan Announces New Biography of Sarah Palin~ Brandilyn Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04771812607327238979noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-18524322873998681312008-09-17T20:38:00.000-07:002008-09-17T20:38:00.000-07:00also, duly noted:According to publisher David Nuss...also, duly noted:<BR/><BR/>According to publisher David Nussbaum, “101 Things You — and John McCain — Didn’t Know About Sarah Palin,” is being written as we speak by Gregory Bergman and will have a print run of some 25,000 copies.<BR/>Nussbaum said the humorous paperback will be in bookstores nationwide by the first week of October, perhaps even by the end of September. A website, 101thingsaboutsarahpalin.com, will go live by September 22, he noted.DANIELBLOOMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130493903696077379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-19363704059846718032008-09-14T04:31:00.000-07:002008-09-14T04:31:00.000-07:00The Alabama-Alaska Connection:Legal Thriller Autho...The Alabama-Alaska Connection:<BR/><BR/>Legal Thriller Author Joe Hilley of Alabama Penning Much-Awaited Bio<BR/>of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin<BR/><BR/><BR/>The announcement last month in Lunch Weekly's online book news site in<BR/>New York, run by veteran publishing industry observer Michel Cader,<BR/>read very simply:<BR/><BR/>Biography:<BR/>Novelist Joe Hilley's "Sarah Palin: New Kind of Leader", exploring<BR/>themes from her career in politics, her life as a hockey mom, and her<BR/>strongly-held Christian faith, explaining how they influence her new<BR/>style of leadership and align with our changing economy in the<BR/>information age, to Zondervan, for publication on October 10th.<BR/><BR/>Turns out that Hilley and his wife of 20 years, Joy, live in southern<BR/>Alabama with their teenage daughter and a younger son. Almost ten<BR/>years ago, in 1999 to be exact, Hilley -- who always had a hankering<BR/>to be a writer of fiction -- left a nice career in law and walked out<BR/>the door to write thrillers. Fulltime. He just got up and said goodbye<BR/>to a lucrative and rewarding law career and said: "Bookworld, here I<BR/>come!" or something like that. He has never looked back.<BR/><BR/>And now he's got a ringside seat at the travelling media circus known<BR/>as the Sarah Palin show. As the Republican Vice Presidential<BR/>candidate's chosen rush-job biographer, he's at the top of his game.<BR/><BR/>After the Christian book publisher Zondervan asked Hilley to write the<BR/>upcoming Palin bio, it put out a press release saying, among other<BR/>things:<BR/><BR/>"Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's nomination as vice presidential<BR/>candidate by John McCain not only changed the landscape of the current<BR/>election, but also marks a shift in leadership style across our<BR/>country. Her acceptance speech during the Republican National<BR/>Convention showcased her personal brand of intelligence, passion,<BR/>vigor, and hope, and explained why she is the most talked-about woman<BR/>in America.<BR/>A new biography....by Joe Hilley ....will explore themes from her career..."<BR/><BR/>So who is Joe Hilley and how did he get this gig?<BR/><BR/>On his own website, http://www.joehilley.com, Hilley explains himself<BR/>in detail, and it's an interesting backstory.<BR/><BR/>The narrator, perhaps Hilley himself, begins: "Some said it wasn't<BR/>much of a change, from defending criminals to making up legal<BR/>thrillers. And they may be right. But the living of it has been quite<BR/>an adventure and a walk of faith -- not only for Joe but for his<BR/>entire family. When he walked out the door of the law firm and went<BR/>home to write, he didn't have a publishing contract. In fact, all he<BR/>had was an idea for a character and the bare outline of a story. With<BR/>that, he went home to write..."<BR/><BR/>"Had he merely written a hard-edged novel with<BR/>earthy language, he would have been picked up<BR/>by a traditional publisher," the website narrator continues. "If he<BR/>had written a softer novel with a more explicit message, he would have<BR/>found a Christian publisher years ago. But Joe wanted to write a novel<BR/>with a hard edge<BR/>without an explicit language. And he wanted any<BR/>message the book might have to come from the<BR/>experience of reading the book, not from telling<BR/>the reader the point."<BR/><BR/>"Writing a story like that was exhilarating. Finding<BR/>a publisher proved a challenge," the narrator says. "Then, Joe found<BR/>Jeff Dunn, an editor with RiverOak Publishing, an<BR/>imprint of Cook Communications Ministries."<BR/><BR/>Now Hilley speaks up: "Jeff<BR/>was looking for well-written fiction with a realistic<BR/>edge that didn't beat the reader over the head<BR/>with the message. I was sure I had the book he<BR/>wanted."<BR/><BR/>The narrator continues: "RiverOak soon purchased Joe's first novel,<BR/>'Sober Justice', and struck a deal for a follow-up book. In September<BR/>2004, 'Sober Justice' introduced readers to Mike Connolly, a<BR/>down-and-out, 50-something attorney, battling alcoholism and a<BR/>disintegrating life. It also introduced the world to a new type of<BR/>Christian fiction. One that wasn't afraid to tackle spiritual<BR/>issues,and didn't soft-sell the story or water down the writing."<BR/><BR/>Joe explains: "I want to write like Ernest Hemingway, tell a<BR/>story like Mark Twain, and produce books that<BR/>grab the reader by the collar. To do that, you have to keep the story<BR/>razor sharp. [My wife, Joy, sees to that.] She's my first and best<BR/>editor. She keeps the story from going too far."<BR/><BR/>Both books did well. More were soon to appear.<BR/><BR/>A new book, "Double Take" continued the story of Mike<BR/>Connolly, and "Electric Beach", the third in the series, was<BR/>released in May of 2006. Then came "Night Rain" in April 2007, and the<BR/>fifth book in the<BR/>series, "The Deposition", in August of 2007.<BR/><BR/>"These novels have been a vehicle for addressing such topics as<BR/>judicial and political corruption, trafficking in women, and the<BR/>scourge of meth labs on rural America," the website notes, adding:<BR/>"Recently Joe's work has expanded to non-fiction. He ghost-authored<BR/>'Reign Down' which was released in April 2008. He's now finishing<BR/>'Sarah Palin' [on a tight deadline].<BR/><BR/>Exactly how the prolific author of a series of legal thrillers landed<BR/>the plum assignment of writing Sarah Palin's biography is still<BR/>something of a publishing industry mystery. Perhaps Zondervan's<BR/>editors knew Hilley from previous talks, or perhaps Hilley's book<BR/>agent set the deal up, or perhaps it was all meant to be and God had a<BR/>hand in this, too. We shall find out soon enough.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Meanwhile, in case any reporter out there is thinking about writing a<BR/>feature on Hilley, here's a few items from his resume. He holds a<BR/>college degree from Asbury College, a theology degree from Asbury<BR/>Theological Seminary and a doctorate in law degree from Cumberland<BR/>School of Law at Samford University.<BR/><BR/>Asbury College? I confess I had never heard of it. It's in Kentucky.<BR/>Its website says that with "a commitment to academic excellence and<BR/>spiritual vitality, Asbury College encourages more than 1,300 students<BR/>to study, worship and serve together on a campus located 20 minutes<BR/>southwest of Lexington in Wilmore, Kentucky."<BR/><BR/>Asbury Theological Seminary? I had not heard of this school before<BR/>either. Also located in Kentucky, it was founded in 1923 "to prepare<BR/>and send forth a well-trained, sanctified, Spirit-filled, evangelistic<BR/>ministry" to spread scriptural holiness around the world" and is<BR/>"committed to a vital evangelical Christian faith, rooted in the<BR/>Wesleyan-Arminian theological tradition.<BR/><BR/>Now even some of my Christian readers might not know what the<BR/>Wesleyan-Arminian theological tradition is all about, so let me tell<BR/>you: "[It] stresses the free grace of God in two ways: First, the<BR/>grace of God is free in all -- not dependent on merit nor on works.<BR/>[And] second, the grace of God is free for all -- all may be saved.<BR/>[Jesus] died for the whole world. People are lost, [therefore], not<BR/>because they cannot be saved, but because they will not be saved."<BR/><BR/>While the media usually describes Zondervan as a Christian publisher<BR/>-- and, of course, it is -- it is also a subsidary of the<BR/>non-religious HarperCollins book company in New York, which publishes<BR/>just about anything about everything.<BR/><BR/>So get ready for Joe Hilley's take on Sarah Palin. While it will be<BR/>very different from his fast-paced page-turned novels, it will be sure<BR/>to capture the attention of readers in both blue and red states -- on<BR/>both sides of the church aisles -- some looking for affirmation and<BR/>others looking for a few cracks in the mirror. Expect the former. This<BR/>is will God's book, with some human-powered editing allowed. And sure<BR/>to be a nationwide bestseller by October 11th.DANIELBLOOMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130493903696077379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-60266297284387715382008-09-12T06:24:00.000-07:002008-09-12T06:24:00.000-07:00Kinda goes to show how fast they really can produc...Kinda goes to show how fast they really can produce a book in a pinch. Don't give it too much thought, though. It might be irritating.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-22656674198811353082008-09-11T23:24:00.000-07:002008-09-11T23:24:00.000-07:00Turns out the book was sold, apparently on proposa...Turns out the book was sold, apparently on proposal, to Zondervan over the Labor Day weekend. It was presented by a "trusted agent." <BR/><BR/>I'llbet Joe Hilley is one busy author this month ...~ Brandilyn Collinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771812607327238979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-83692660997915734662008-09-11T20:52:00.000-07:002008-09-11T20:52:00.000-07:00That was my first thought. Very fast...That was my first thought. Very fast...Lynette Sowellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14744849531318234556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-67871759296950548282008-09-11T12:10:00.000-07:002008-09-11T12:10:00.000-07:00I agree, inquiring minds wanna know. I'm trying to...I agree, inquiring minds wanna know. I'm trying to get some inside scoop on this acquisition. I'll post what I can next week.~ Brandilyn Collinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771812607327238979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-30295405825386242772008-09-11T05:03:00.000-07:002008-09-11T05:03:00.000-07:00Wow ~ that was fast. How do you pull something li...Wow ~ that was fast. How do you pull something like that together so quickly?Pam Halterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13980301862494655691noreply@blogger.com