Monthly Archives: April 2011
Sneak Peek of Winter
(Click cover to open book)
The following preview is Copyrighted 2011 by Splashdown Darkwater, a division of Splashdown Books. It may not be reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission from the publisher. Visit. www.splashdownbooks.com for more info.
This preview represents the Advanced Reader Copy text of the book released in April 2011, and is not necessarily the exact text of the final publication released June 1, 2011.
Where did Adam and Eve go when they died?
I was recently asked to answer this question by my sister-in-law. Here’s my response…
The question about where the souls of Adam and Eve went after death, is the same question that applies to all pre-Jesus people. Obviously, the fate of unbelievers would be the same. But what about the Godly? There are two basic opinions about this.
1) Jesus’s death is sufficient for all, past, present, and future. The redemption of man was planned from the very beginning, when God told the serpent that Eve’s offspring would crush his head (Gen. 3:15). Further foreshadowing of redemption is seen in God’s covenant (Gen. 15) with Abraham and God providing the ram in place of Isaac (Gen. 22:13). Prophesies of redemption litter the Old Testament and is in fact the whole point of the Old Testament. Which is why Jesus said he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). Since redemption was always planned and since God is not bound by time, then the actual placement of Jesus’s death in time is irrelevant. Salvation was planned, therefore salvation was already done in the eyes of God.
That means the Old Testament Godly would be saved through Jesus, just like we are. They would go to Heaven.
2) The second theory takes a more linear view of God’s timing. Salvation could not come to the Old Testament Godly until after Jesus. Their souls would go to a resting place that existed prior to Jesus’s coming… Hades, Paradise, or Purgatory if you will. There is some Biblical evidence that could support this, such as Samuel coming “out of the ground” (1 Sam. 28:11-14) and Jesus telling the thief “today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:43) when Jesus did not ascend to Heaven for another forty days (Acts 1:3). But it is important to note that even if a place like this did exist before, there is absolutely no support of it existing now. Once salvation was provided for the Godly, its inhabitants entered Heaven and this place was no longer needed.
The question now becomes, were Adam and Eve counted among the Godly? Did they repent and reconcile themselves to God? I think Genesis chapter four is sufficient to demonstrate that Adam and Eve continued to follow God and to train their children to follow God. They were a family that talked with and interacted with God, even though Cain made some bad choices. And so Adam and Eve should be counted as Godly.
Either option you choose from the two above, Adam and Eve would now be in Heaven.
The woes of editing…
Writing is rewriting… or so I’ve heard it said. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
The first draft of Winter was around 80,000 words. The second draft grew to about 118,000 words. I was proud of that. There’s something about making things bigger that seems… well, grand. Winter stayed that size for a long time.
Then finally someone got it through my thick skull that a lot of those words were unnecessary fluff. So I started hacking. 10,000 words hit the floor.
Now I’m doing it again at the hands of two very vicious editors. 
I’m fixing some known problems and cutting even more fluff. There’s still a lot to do, but already I’m down to about 103,000 words. I don’t think it’s going to shrink too much more from that.
Do the math. That’s 15,000 words of fluff. FIFTEEN THOUSAND.
Seriously though, my editors are doing a fantastic job and they truly believe in my story. They’re helping me hone my skills in a way I’ve never had before. What I’m learning I can take into my next book, and maybe I won’t put so much drivel in it. Thank you Kristen Steiffel and Kat Heckenbach.
But what saddens me the most about this editing process, is that whole scenes have been removed. Some are quite fun, but have nothing to do with the main story. Some are just drawn out descriptions and can be rather painful to endure. But it’s the characters that were cut that I grieve the most. These are characters not essential to the story or who originally had larger roles in some of those meaningless scenes. Now that their scenes are gone, they have to be removed to avoid confusion. One character will make it back into the next book, at least. But some may never see another word.
Don’t worry. I’ve saved every draft I’ve made. The scenes remain preserved. So perhaps I’ll post a few of these “deleted scenes” for you to enjoy. Maybe I can get away with it before the book is released. I’ll check with my publisher. But if not, I will certainly give you some “deleted scenes” this summer.
-k
Everything you need to know about Winter…
I realized there was a lot of links and info going around, so this simple post is just to compile everything and explain the where-to’s and what-for’s.
To read details about the book CLICK HERE.
Winter will be released on JUNE 1, 2011 by Splashdown Darkwater, an imprint of Splashdown Books. It will be available at all online retails outlets and can be ordered at any major bookstore. To find out about this publisher CLICK HERE.
We are pushing an ambitious launch strategy for release day, called the 1000 Campaign. To find out what that is CLICK HERE.
To join the 1000 Campaign CLICK HERE.
To pre-order Winter CLICK HERE. (And if you do, please join the 1000 Campaign!)
To become a fan on my Facebook page CLICK HERE and “Like” the page.
For Twitter updates CLICK HERE.
Don’t forget to visit my new website and subscribe to the blog! CLICK HERE
And of course, to watch the most awesome promo trailer CLICK HERE.
If you need more information about the book or to schedule an appearance or interview, send an email to kevennewsome [at] gmail [dot] com.
Full Trailer Credits
View trailer in the Media Room
Produced by, Directed by, Filmed by, Edited by, Music by:
- Keven Newsome
Cast (In order of appearance):
- Mary Rochelle Unsworth…. Winter Maessen
- Ende Cecelia Champagne…. Young Winter Maessen
- Ellen Gatlin Champagne…. Marie Maessen
- Christina Dufour…. Claire
- Adam F. Gillespie…. Steve Maessen
- Kyle W. Bagwell…. Davis
- Kinsey Sharkey…. Summer Reilly
- Rebekah Unsworth…. Kaci Williams/ Extra
- DeAnna Newsome…. Extra
- Wesley Belk…. Xaphan
- Keven Newsome (cameo with machete)…. Extra
- Katherine Unsworth…. Lunch Lady/ Extra
Shot on location at:
- The New Orleans Baptist Seminary – Primary location
- Thanks to the Administrative Council for the usage of campus locations in general.
- Thanks to Rex Butler, home usage.
- Thanks to Julie Barentine, office usage.
- Thanks to Debi Sharkey, guest room and vehicle usage.
- Thanks to Ashley Williamson for dorm room usage.
- Thanks to Traci Combs, home usage.
- The New Orleans City Park
- Metairie Cemetery
- With scenic footage from Vicksburg, MS and Columbia, MS
Filmed with a Canon Rebel T1i DSLR in HD.
Publisher:
- Splashdown Darkwater, an imprint of Splashdown Books.
Cover Art
- Layout and design by Holly Heisey.
- Subject photography by DeAnna Newsome.
- Mary Rochelle Unsworth model.
