I don't know who this gentleman is, but he seems to be a pastor of some sort. His name is David O. Taylor and in this clip, he is giving book and movie recommendations to people who, I believe, are pastors themselves. He reommends the movie Magnolia, and he also puts in a lengthy and very encouraging word for my first three books. Thanks, David--it's appreciated.
I like what he has to say about my stuff--it's all nice, why wouldn't I like it? He seems like a good-natured guy who has the best interest of people at heart.
Big shout-out to my Goodreads buddy Brian, down there in Birmingham, AL, who tipped me off to this clip. Thanks Brian!
I continue to be bemused and intrigued by the response of self-identified Christians to my novels. Many, like David and Brian, seem to have generally positive responses and see the books as opening up new ways of understanding or at least thinking about these old stories. But there are plenty of other people--just read my Amazon reviews--who seem to find me an offensive piece of offal for precisely the same reasons. I have no great insight to draw from this, other than, "People sure are funny, huh?"
Here's a link to the video, or you can watch the tiny version below:
3 comments:
David, consider me a long-standing fan. I do whatever I can to promote your novels, hither and yon and there's been a good bit of yon recently. I've read them all, sometimes twice over, except your latest, *The Gamble of the Godless*, only because I don't yet own a kindle. My wife recently received one as a gift and now I have no excuse to buy the e-book. When I find your books at discount bookstores, I buy extra and hand them out like hot cakes. Seriously. It's great fun.
By the way, has anybody in Hollywood optioned your books or told you how cinematically friendly they are? I'll be surprised (and perhaps dismayed) if the answer is no. I'm not sure what your opinion is on a film version of your books, but they sure would make for a visually stimulating and poignant experience.
In any case, thanks for all the hard work at putting imagination to pen and pen to paper. We look forward to seeing what comes next.
David (currently working on a PhD in theology and art at Duke University, for what it's worth)
Hi David,
You're very kind. I am of course grateful to anyone who has taken the time to read any of the books, much less all of them. It's such a weird business, to sit in your room writing stuff down, wondering if it makes sense to anybody else. Then years later you find someone talking about it so enthusiastically. So thanks, it means a lot.
The Gamble of the Godless is a pretty different critter from the other books; it's genre fantasy and might not be your cup of tea. Not to discourage you from picking it up--I like it a bunch. It's just fairly different from the other books, so, you've been warned.
That said, I have another "literary" novel coming out in the fall, called An Age of Madness. I'm pretty excited about this--just got the cover a day or 2 ago, and it looks great. Going through the proofs as we speak.
As for movies: The Preservationist was optioned about 3-4 years ago and nothing has happened. This doesn't surprise me; the production rate for books, even once they have been optioned, is about 1%. The people who have the option are not exactly players in Hollywood, so I don't think anything is going to happen (and in fact I think the option is about to run out, so, that's that). Also, supposedly, Spielberg is wanting to make a Noah's Ark movie (!) so that's the kind of thing that will suck away a lot of interest. Even without that, though, the likelihood would be pretty small I think.
There have been occasional murmurs about one of the other books being made into a movie, but nothing serious has come of those. I'm not expecting anything, because as I say, the hit rate is so low. Samson is particularly unlikely IMO, as the markedly unorthodox treatment of a Biblical icon would simply not translate into dollar signs, which is what Hollywood bases all of its decisions upon. (Not a criticism per se--movies are expensive.)
Anyway, thanks again. Have fun at Duke, if "fun" is the right word. And hey, I love the Chapel Hill/Durham area, so if Duke feels like inviting me over for a conference or something, I'm more than willing (I'm probably more of an English/cr writing guy rather than a theology dude, but I'll try anything). I was at the U of Cincinnati for a week back in 2009, and loved it.
Cheers & thanks again for your interest and enthusiasm. It means a lot.
Dave
David, just reading this now (after returning from a jaunt to the UK). If I can think of an excuse to get you to Duke or UNC, I'll definitely try to make it happen. It's a nice area.
Not surprised about the movie situation. That's pretty much what I hear from my filmmaker friends. Oh well. The novels are great and I look forward to reading your newest.
Keep up the good work and please do keep writing your stories. They're worth every penny.
Sincerely,
David
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