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Show MARCH 7, 2012 nNESDAY, aelheirs explained they characters trying to survive in a world that is rapidly changing for them. Hall and Gerry both agreed that working together on a book was fun, but it was not without its challenges. We each like our ideas, so then we have to work out a system of who writes what and who gets the final say on what, and we had to decide on how we would compromise on certain things, Hall said. Theres a lot of arguing involved. Gerry said a positive aspect on working on a story with Hall was they were both able to catch mistakes the other missed. They also were each able to come up with intricate characters for the story. Each sister came up with two main charac- loved ters. didnt it be interest- -' (el a ,n who story about a lived over and couldnt but lTain jber anything m her previous ,r about life? Gerry directed to her sister, question Hall, as they were s,y llliinda to no ,nal ping Yellowstone Park for an annual trip- - thats a really idea! Hall said. eStmg qid, and j Gerrys idea grew and grew eventually turned into book ' ,lier more detailed , The sisters published installment of their series !iv on Jan. jenix Angel rst six-bo- Te sisters always cre- diting, reading and ,v When they came iherthey brought dif-i-t elements of science four different personalities, Hall said. Besides the unique magical aspects that are included in the story, another aspect about the creation of the series is that the sisters published the book on their own. The process for getting a book published has been somewhat complex in past years. Hall said originally an author would have to hire an agent. In order to hire an agent, you would have to send out pieces of writing to agents all over until one decided to accept your work. Once the agent gets on board with your work, they then take it to publishers. Hopefully their connections with publishers will get your book published. Because of Amazon and all of a sudden the industry has shifted and more and more authors are publishing with Amazon, ks think that the novel is richer and more diverse because its not just one writer trying to interpret I Hall said. It opens up opportunities for new talent )eah is inevitable, is that really annoying girl PRIL JACKSON Staff Writer in the cafeteria who sounds like a blow horn every times she finds something I have funny. So, dont feel bad about it. Well, thats the message of Heidegger and a Hippo some '( i scary, unsettling inevitable news for Walk Through Those Pearly Gates anyway. The book, written by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein, explores the different philosophies surrounding death. They look at everything from religion to existentialism, and do their best to explain complicated ideas to us average laymen. And they do a good job you: you are going to die. dt worry, Im going So is the person always ends up in of me at Starbucks ; too. very precise order akes him exactly minutes to order. So his om- - ;n moue that before you just had to wait and wait until someone accepted you. Another plus with publishing online on your own is instead of the publisher tweaking your story, you get to decide what stays and goes in your book. We just decided we wanted to write a book that we would like to read, Gerry said. It worked out great for us because we were able to leave everything in that we wanted to leave in. While Gerry and I Iall spend a lot of time being authors, they also spend a decent amount of time being something else teachers. Gerry teaches math and Hall teaches math and English at Tuacahn High School. Working on a book and teaching at the same time proved challenging for the duo. Well we already work a full-tim- e week, like 40 to 50 hours, and then writing takes up another 20 hours, Gerry said. It takes about a year to write every book and still have a e 4 for the most part. Anybody who can sort of make sense of Martin Heiddeger, a German existentialist who really made no sense, has to know what hes doing. Cathcart and Klein manage to convey the meaning and basic principles of each different philosophy in a simple and clean style. They often inject humor and sarcasm into their writing, which will defi- isnt a book for those nitely please the cynics of the world. But, a warning for those who are entrenched into their beliefs about death and the afterworld: this While enjoyed the book for the most part, a few elements became tired after a while. Cathcart and Klein often break the prose up Another issue I had was the character of Daryl. Daryl serves as a character representing the readers and asks the questions readers might have. with jokes explaining dif However, Daryl is kind of seek- ing validation or agreement in their beliefs. Cathcart and Klein, along with the philosophers they analyze, will make you question everything. Theyll take your deepest and dearest religious beliefs and turn it around on your head. So if youre not into that kind of casual questioning of beliefs, find another book to read. I ferent ideas. The problem is that the jokes arent funny. Theyre cheesy and annoying. I solved the problem by reading around them, but I still feel the authors could have left them out. Perhaps they were worried about readers getting bored by the dense material, but the writing' is funny and interesting in itself. I ' 9 IM CEUNA. I i s u u .MiidiJEf HAVE PiilMAHY iljUi.in, LOCATION SO MY LIFE DEPENDS ON YOU?, PLASMA 8 IB Ur V 23 "0 11 GEORGE sd I r r 4 ir k 5 m ft U PPOiN I l.iKli UHitH.bUUl fUsi H Oil I5 W M 847 9 Ol w wt sciinmi T $ I & a i i i ... it i ' V i i tKT 'Ijl i 1 1 1 1 1 :. ii ;i m fi it, Hi) ; j 1 1 !j ,yi ;i i UMI a -- . i;i .Villi;; ;J jj. Must present this coupon prior to the initial donation r iclovo r n on - .r fourth successful donation. Initial donation must ; ccrnpIGed by d 3 subsequent donations within 30 days. May no! be r.onib'n.-- wih any rdhc Valid only at participating locations. Dixie Expires A 30 13 i i-- 1 i ; r ;i ns appreciated 4 $ J Christy Ilall and Amanda Gerry are not your typical math teachers. The two balance teaching and writing a fantasy book series. 3 J and upcoming books in the Shardwell series, check out www.shardwell.com. 'V1 J h For more information on Phoenix Angel 7 V iw students, and as teachers thats really helpful, Hall said. t 'JeXtr J just gives us another connection to our W-.. 4 I Its fun that the kids love it because that job. Teaching while creating a fantasy scries has had some positive points, though. Hall and Gerry both said they share their manuscripts with the students at Tuacahn High School, so they can receive some feedback in return. Its also a plus when that feedback BioLife 1 is good. full-tim- ries A oiqlhit TU) 9 fiction and fantasy together to create a tale of several ,CKOVEMECHAM Lifestyles Editor !S Ec j ill lilllill 4DDJN i dumb, far more moronic than the average sort of reader this book would bring. I mean, lets face it, the everyday moron probably isnt going to pick up a book on philosophy of death, no matter how cute the title is. However, even dumb jokes and characters cant detract from the overall appeal and charm of Heiddeger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates. I definitely recommend this book for anyone in the mood for some funny and witty analysis on philosophy. |
