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Grease Spot Cafe, Hope, and Books

I’d like to thank everyone who visited The Writing Machine from the discussion forum on Grease Spot Cafe (main site | forums). The comments on the thread and your e-mails have re-validated the past 15 years of writing and provided the spark of encouragement I need to stick to my deadlines and push through this last phase of self-publishing. I did also feel a touch of the Rock of Ages come back to me where The Way was understood without explaining; and where everyone knew my name and remembered me in diapers. :-) Once again, thank you all… I am touched and grateful for your support.

During this week I also received provocative comments about growing up in the cult, The Way International, and the attitudes of the former children of The Way who are now angry, empty, and lost as adults. From my own experiences I believe this statement is sad and true, but not eternal. Of my two books, Stealing Wings from an Angel is youthful, angry and vengeful; The Secret Curse Surrenders is sad, lost and empty; but in these books and everything I write about my life, I believe there is hope—and not just the hope of living in paradise—but in finding peace here on Earth within your own soul. Unfortunately, for some of us, finding peace is more of an adventure than we may like it to be, so thank God for the internet where we can share our stories, find comfort in knowing someone else has been where we are now, learn from one another, and hopefully make the adventure a bit less adventuresome for each other.

I have a five-year-old son whom one day will be a grown man. I hope to pass on to him the lessons I’ve learned from my own adventures growing up in The Way, working countless jobs, and roaming the country in search of my family and a home. And with this opportunity to pass on my lessons to him, I find the greatest hope of all…

As for my books, Stealing Wings from Angel is on track for publication in the beginning of November and I will post information on this site as I have a final date for its release.

The Secret Curse Surrenders can purchased from iUniverse by clicking here.

Or from Amazon by clicking here.

Coming up in November, I am participating once again in NaNoWriMo where I will attempt to write 50,000 words more into my memoir in the month of November (technically you are supposed to write a 50,000 word fictitious novel, but I’ll do what I have to do to keep the motivation going on the memoir even if that means breaking the rules and writing creative nonfiction). I will post excerpts from my progress all month as I work my way to 50,000 words. Stop back and cheer me along; I can use all the help I can get.

And finally, as I wrap up this post, I’d like to share a passage from Joseph Campbell in, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, that has continually helped guide my life, and has been especially in my mind all week:

“Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero-path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had though to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with the world.”

Thanks for reading The Writing Machine. As always, you are a stranger here but once. Stop back often and stay long.

See you in November…

Christian

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© 2007 Christian Cloud Abraham

Posted on October 21, 2007 in
Emotion: Elation, Type: News and Updates