Sunday, August 9, 2009

A New Heimer-Blog!

So it's been a while since I've posted anything online.
Many have expressed that they deeply miss my website
cheimerdinger.com, all the questions and answers, the
forums, the monthly newsletters, etc., etc., etc. Well,
here's the scoop: that website became entangled in legal
wranglings and no longer exists. Nor will it ever exist
again in the same form. It's a long story that I may tell
one day, but the truth of the matter is that its demise
freed up an extraordinary amount of my time. It was crazy
everyday trying to keep up with it. So what have done
with that free time? Mostly, I have devoted it to family
and personal matters for the past couple years--and I
think it was time well devoted. Of course, I also,
theoretically, have more time to devote to writing and
creating. The primary recipient of such energies right now
is the project "Thorn of Glory"--the latest in the Tennis
Shoes Adventure Series. This project has been an excruciating
excercise in research and discipline. However, so many
fascinating subjects have been explored during the creating,
and I hope to address many of those subjects in this blog.
I've always gotten positive responses and comments to my
"Chapter Notes" in back of my various Tennis Shoes books
over the years. Well, the Chapter Notes in this latest
Tennis Shoes novel are meatier than any that I've provided
before. It's fun, but as I say, it's also excruciating.

I confess, there are other reasons that writing has been
slow. For those who are unaware, I was remarried this April.
It was an incredible day and a glorious rebirth from some
sad and trying episodes in my life. For some even the fact
that I was divorced may come as surprising news. Trust me,
at the time it was no less surprising to me. It was never
something I wanted, asked for, or supported in any way.
But, in the end, one cannot control another's actions and
choices. It was a very sorrowful and bitter time for many
people, including and especially my children. But time passes.
Wounds heal (or scar over, anyway) and life goes on.

The truth is that I have never been a happier human being.
Currently my new wife, Emily, and I have custody of no less
than nine children. (My oldest son, Steven, is on a mission
in the Ukraine.) It's quite a household. Never a dull moment.
Much chaos. And very little quiet time for introspection
and contemplation. But that's not totally a bad thing, right?
The rewards are legion, and the greatest blessing has been
that I totally lucked out by selecting a wife with an
incredible passion for making it work.

So here I am, an LDS artist--a person who has devoted his
life and career to celebrating the Gospel of Jesus Christ
with creative works, and I am no less immune from the
tragedies and pitfalls of life on planet earth as any
other human being. The best part is that instead of
drawing me further away from the Gospel, such events have
drawn me closer. I love this Church. I'm so proud to be a
part of it. And I enjoy nothing more than bearing testimony
of its truthfulness while at the same time creating
entertaining and (I hope, sometimes at least) beautiful
artistic works celebrating its themes.

Recently I wrote a new fireside and delivered it to a
group of single adults in Draper, Utah. This talk gave me
a chance, again, to express my deepest convictions in
the Restored Church and the Atonement of our Savior. I
was also able to discuss a wide range of other subjects,
from the conflicts of science and religion to the fact
that we, as people, are not as prone to bear our
testimonies to friends and associates that way we
were back in the 70s and early 80s. Fun subjects, and
it seemed to be well recieved. And it may also provide
future fodder for a blog like this.

So for those who miss cheimerdinger.com, this is the
place to come if you want to hear me rant about the
things I care about most. That is, if anyone cares to
listen. I'll have to judge that as the weeks go by. Most
of my time, frankly, I need to devote to writing novels
and developing projects that will feed my family. But a
blog may be a great way to blow off steam from time to
time, contemplate the higher things of the universe, and
seek the healing balm of friends and fans who may,
occasionally, reply with some tidbit or comment that
will truly make my day and raise my spirits higher.
Hopefully time I devote to this endeavor will prove to
be a breath of fresh air that I will seek on a regular
basis. My fear is that, with the internet these days,
there may well be more bloggers than there are readers.
Isn't that the way it is with so many of conversations?
Also, whose to know if I can really be judged someone
with worthwhile things to say outside of telling stories
or pursuing creative works? But for those who wish to
read what I have to write, the forum that I will make
most postings will be my Frost Cave blogspot.

We'll just have to see. In the meantime, I'll give this
a go and see where it leads . . .

Chris Heimerdinger

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26 comments:

Teachinfourth said...

Glad to see that you're still out there; your nephew was in my Math class this past year and he thought it was cool that I knew his uncle.

AJ said...

Hey! I am so glad to hear something about you haha. I was just talking to a friend that I had heard about "Thorns of Glory" and that I hadn't heard anything in a while about it. I am glad you are on your feet and life is moving!

Jessie said...

I was so excited to see that you had posted a blog! I'm sorry about your divorce, but so happy that you've found Emily and have a wonderful life together.

I just wanted to you know that I love the Tennis Shoes series. My 9 year old son has also read them and learned so much more about the Book of Mormon. Thank you for sharing your talents with us! I look forward to the next book in the series!

Jasmine said...

Hey I am so glad you have a blog for pure rambling. Seeing other people's rambling thoughts has alwats brightened up my day.

Random fact: I discovered about a month ago that my friend's mom/my neighbor was in high school with you. :) I thought that was way cool, seeing as you are my favorite author.

Bexrex said...

Great to hear of your rebound, and hope the new opportunities it presnts will be a help in your writing, as well. What can I tell my 14 yr-old of your Thorns of Glory release --- she's on me every week about it!

Dana said...

Congradulations on your marriage! We've been some of ther readers that have missed you. My son is now enjoying your books (the ones I read as a teenager) He keeps listening to the them over and over again. He is also learning things about he book of Mormon form your seris. I will say were did you learn that and it will always be from one of your books. We are looking forward to the new book. When might it be out?

coco_angel said...

I am so glad I found this blog! I've been waiting for your website to come back up FOREVER, and today I finally decided that you had to have something else up, and after about 30 minutes of googling I finally found this blog! I'm SO glad to hear that you're working on the 11th book and even more excited that it might be coming out this year! I've been a fan of the Tennis Shoes series for about 10 years now and I'm really looking forward to the conclusion! You're an amazing writer with such creative ideas and I can't wait to see what happens next!!

Sara said...

wow ur books are amazing!! ive read the series like 10 times and i am on the 6th book again i have hooked friends to your series and i just wanted to say glad u wrote them and thanks a whole gallon a ton!!!!

Kara Del Valle said...

I just wanted to say Thank you, for your books and all that they bring. It is nice to have a book that is clean and insightful! I also wanted to say thank you for the update. I am happy for your family and we all know that family needs to be #1 in your life, so thanks for the time you take to write to us.

Brian and Kristin Barlow said...

My 9 year old got me hooked on The Tennis Shoes series and I have loved it. He plans on camping out at Deseret Book to pick up Thorns of Glory so he can be the first to get it as it is released. He figures that is what happens for Harry Potter and in his mind your books are much better. Thanks so much!! We can't wait for the next book.

Unknown said...

I was so excited to have found your blog! My family and I have been avid fans of your books for years now, ever since my grandpa put them in to keep us all quiet on a car ride. My siblings still fall asleep listening to the audiobooks.
Thank you so much and congratulations on your marriage!

A.J. Dub. (Amy) said...

I just picked up Tennis Shoes, etc. after 20 years and it is still a fun and creative story. I am in the middle of Feathered Serpent 2. I'm reading Tennis Shoes to my own kids now. I used to pop in from time to time on your old website and was sad to hear about the chaos in your life so I am glad to hear things are much improved and and check in with you again.
Thanks for keeping up the series!
I'm going to watch for reviews on Goodreads about the new book when it comes out.

Captain Heather said...

I feel like I've grown up reading your books. My aunt sent us some of the Tennis Shoes books on cassette tape, and we wore them out listening to them over and over as kids. Now, at 22, I am patiently awaiting the fate of some of my favorite characters ever created. And I've read lots of books.

I wish you the best in life and with your new/old/combined family, and good luck to your son in Ukraine!

Snowcatcher said...

Welcome back! We've missed you!

Katie said...

I am happy to hear that you have found Emily and that you are happy. Life throws some heart breaking adventures in our way often, doesn't it. I have learned that we make plans, we make goals, and in the end must be flexible. Life can be so full of joy, almost at the same time it can be so hard. Your books have brought so much insite. And a huge amount of distraction and a break from the ups and downs of life. Thank You I look forward to your next book.

A Woman said...

I was first introduced to, "Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites" back when it first came out, in the late 80s early 90s. My friend whose son was on a mission at the time, was introduced to the book while ther on his mission. He sent the book home to his mother to share with her and she in turn shared it with me. Later when I wanted to buy the book, I could not remember the name just the essence of the story and tennis shoes! While on a temple trip i happened into an LDS bookstore and there it was---i bought all of the books in the series that were available at the time! i introduced the books to my family on car trips BUT later i lost them due to too many family moves! yesterday i purchased the first book on CD and now i will start over again!

i was disappointed that your website no longer exists but i was very glad to find this website instead. i wish you well with your new life, new wife, larger family and i hope that your children from your former marriage will adjust. my friend who introduced me to your series, the one i wrote about, her children have not adjusted very well to the divorce and she has suffered alot because of it too. she found the church about 23 years ago and lost her family all in that same year! in spite of all of her woes and the woes of her children, she is such an incredibly great person; i am hopeful that sometime she will find happiness again, as you seem to have found!

take care and keep writing those great stories and don't give up just because you have become a famous LDS screenwriter, LDS director and LDS producer! i will eventually buy of your books in the tennis shoe series and all of your movies as well! i bought your DVD yesterday too! that should be really great to watch! so will your tennis shoe series!

I love LDS movies and you know there are not enough of them? We also need some LDS television shows and not the same repeats over and over again! There is a market for LDS media out there! It is such a shame that the folks with the money to sponsor and provide backing for these things do not have the vision for it! The market is there, money to be made! We LDS people have a great need for clean, fine, wholesome entertainment---not watered down diluted LDS junk but really good entertainment with some substance, great writing, great acting, good humor, great jokes, real drama, decent wigs, great costumes, realistic settings, good props, etc. We don't want something lame and cheap!

Todd said...

I understand everything going on with cheimerdinger.com. I read about it in the news and that lead me to your post here. I am an big fan of yours and also happen to be a web developer. If you need any help getting back up and running, feel free to contact me. I hope things are going well for you and hope to hear from you soon. My email address is todd.nestor@gmail.com

coco_angel said...

To my favorite LDS author:

We're all waiting impatiently to hear when Thorn of Glory is going to come out! I just finished listening to your series (yet again) cried at the end of Kingdoms and Conquerors, (yet again) and was so frustrated (yet again) when you say "To be continued..."!! Please, please, please post another blog and give me some peace of mind!! I so want to find out what happens to everyone! =)

Bob said...

Glad to have found this...I have just been re-reading the Tennis Shoes Books and loved them all over again. Hope Thorns of Glory comes soon!

Courtney said...

Brother Heimerdinger!

Ever since I was a young kid I would read your books and I absolutely adored them. Over the years I have listened to the audio files over and over and OVER again because I loved the characters and I especially love the 'voice actors' that portrayed them. The adventures and stories in your books made the scriptures come alive for me. I used to fall asleep in the early hours of the morning--trying not to listen to the next section, of course--wondering what I would have done if I was living during that time, or what the prophets and saints really would be like. I would find myself wondering 'will they really deliver the scrolls in time?' Before realizing that, of course, it was fiction. Ha ha.
Of the eleven people in my household there are seven adoring fans who devour your books. Of course, I've read your others as well, Eddie Fantastic is another one of my favorites but I was always touched by the honesty and the sweet spirit that accompanied the truths in your Tennishoe series. Thank you for writing those books. They changed my life and they continue to inspire me as I carry them around as a book, as an MP3, always there when I need a wholesome, enjoyable book to read!

P.S. My father and I check religiously to see if everything has worked itself out so we can read the next book. I know I sound like a crazy obsessed fan, but I just thought you should know how much everyone appreciates your hard work and that you were so willing to listen to the spirit. Thank you! And I'm sorry this is so long!

Karen said...

Can you please let us at least know any new plans on book 11? Last word we heard from you was the end of 2009 and it's already may 2010, and you haven't told us a release date, let alone if you've finished your rough copy and even sent it to the editor. Please, a little info would be nice. Love your books.

T. Denson said...

Chris
this thank you note is 10 years over due. 10 years ago i met you at slc deseret book book signing i was divorced with 2 daughters living out of state with their mother my daughters and i had a common tie with your books i got them the aidio books and we would talk about them over the phone the day i met you was my youngest daughters birthday i told you about her birthday and our seperation and asked if you would call her and wish her a happy birthday. you gracefully accepted and left a lasting impression on her answering machine. she had heard your voice so much from the audio books that she instantly reconized it on the machine. she listened to it over and over and save the recording. we talked about it the other day and it still puts a smile on her face thank you

Unknown said...

Chris, I really love your stuff but your marketing is really terrible. I want to buy your Tennis Shoes audiobooks on iTunes and can't. It's hard as heck to find them on CD and if I can I have to get gouged on Deseretbook or the like. It just stinks man. Even on Amazon you have just the paperbacks and tapes. There is one seller there putting up a single volume of your audiobook for $108! Your distribution and marketing is really unacceptable man. I want to listen to your books as part of family night and they are unaffordable and darn near impossible to find. Where did Chrisheimerdinger.com go by the way? Why do you have broken elements of your Zarahemla movie site? Come on man, if you need help get it. There are thousands of us if not millions that would buy your audiobooks if they were reasonable or possible to find. Please, please, put them on iTunes. They only take like 1/10th and you keep the rest. Make some money and make us happy.

Rob Pruitt
pruittsigns@gmail.com

AJ said...

For those who haven't found out, Chris has another blog at http://frostcave.blogspot.com/ Also, he released the newest Tennis Shoes book a couple days ago! It is called Socerers and Seers.

Unknown said...

Sorry to hear about the divorce. But i am happy to hear that you are still out there. I love all of your stuff! Mormonmedia.com has a lot of good books and movies for members of the church as well as just people interested in a good book to read.

JC said...

I just watched the movie for my first time. Loved it!!!
Under the music feature it showas a website: wwwiheimerRecords.com and a password: 123heimer to download the music for free. When I go to that site there's nothing really there. Just links.