Remarkable Silence

Some tablets displayed the same outline. A single word or short sentence appeared in the upper left hand corner, in the second line another short sentence. The body started on the third line, like modern correspondence. These sentences might furnish or reflect a name or source, the first word here a Greek form of the common name, Mary. The next phrase read ‘of the tribe of.’ Alice paused; the last word was an Egyptian proper name, Mosis, commonly associated with a god’s name. Egyptians often shortened such names. Then she had it. “Mary of the tribe of Moses.”

As she translated the reference to both a Mary and a Moses, she caught her breath.
With her heart racing curiosity trumped caution. Her eyes darted almost against her will to the next words: “The mother of Jesus, known as the Christ.” Alice froze, then pushed herself to stand, weak-kneed. She reread the words. No mistake. Whoever wrote this introduced herself as the mother of Jesus, the mother of the man millions call Jesus Christ.

Alice moved toward the open window, crossing her arms to still their trembling. She drank in air. Was this possible? She could not be first to read such a discovery. She looked outr onto the hill of Sepphoris, feeling no joy, only fear, and she had never known real fear. A feeling of dread settled, as the room’s heavy, dark furniture floated around her. She called out the window in a strained, high voice, sending for Henry. She waited, head on her arms on the sill.

Dust blew across the ancient landscape in slender fingers and whirling eddies as if to clear the land of these puny intruders so foolish as to seek Sepphoris’ secrets.

***
When Henry arrived, Alice walked into his arms, shaking her head.

“What is it, sweetheart?” he asked.

Alice pointed at the Tablets. Haltingly, she explained her morning’s work and findings. Henry moved to the table, pulling her with him. His background in ancient Middle East languages didn’t match hers. Nevertheless, he had no trouble coming to the same conclusion.

He removed his hat, nervously rubbed his cheek, then sank down in an old wooden chair, suddenly exhausted. “I think I’ve been coming to this all my life. My God, what have we found?” He straightened abruptly, the professor taking over, and spoke again in his characteristic steady voice. “We have to be suspicious. It might be a hoax. But deep down I have a hunch they’re the real deal.”

Henry picked up a pen, rolling it slowly with his fingertips. “I want us to translate them ourselves. At this point, we still control what happens.”

Alice tried to use an equally deliberate tone, but her voice quavered. She rested a hand on his shoulder. “It might not be that easy. There might be linguistic problems I can’t solve. Language experts work in teams for a reason. I have to admit, too, I’m petrified.”

He held out his hand. She grasped it. Finally, he spoke in that quiet voice that never failed to give her confidence. “We’re scholars. These tablets are either meaningless or a stunning revelation. In either case we have to see it through. We’re here for a reason. Maybe it’s fate. If we release the news too soon we might never know what’s in them.”

Alice squeezed his hand, and then smiled. All that purity. She’d married him for it. She bent to kiss him and went back to work. That was the beginning of the translations of what later became known as The Jesus Tablets. Alice would translate. Henry would keep the site running smoothly.

The end would not be so orderly.

Group Discussion Questions

1. The discovery of the Jesus Tablets at Sepphoris upends core beliefs of the world’s three main religions. Are those who try to suppress them right to do so?

2. Do you agree with the book’s premise that bad people can accomplish good things?

3. Is it vital to know the truth of Biblical history?

4. In the end, a solution is found for peace in the Middle East. Is it a workable solution in the real world?

5. Do you find Mary a sympathetic character? In what ways did she go against society’s rules in her own time?

6. Although this is a “what if” story, could the author’s version of events be close to the truth?

7. Every character in Remarkable Silence believes in a higher power. Why do you think they do?

8. What do you think of the idea that religious laws exist to keep society moral and productive?

9. To what extent is organized religion tied to political power in Remarkable Silence and in life? Should it be?

10. Many characters in Remarkable Silence believe they are doing God’s will. Do you think that is right or even possible?

How I Came to Write my Novels

I wrote my first story in third grade. Mom and Dad praised it, and I wanted to feel that combination of creative accomplishment and admiration again. In years to come, like most writers, I’ve experienced more rejection than admiration, but the creative accomplishment part has never failed me. It’s one of the best ways I know to nurture my spirit. Besides, I love stories: writing, reading, or hearing them.

Over time, I’ve realized that historical novels are my favorite to write. I’ve always enjoyed research and finding the facts and narratives of humans succeeding, failing, facing challenges, and moving toward the present. There’s something wonderful about moving through time, stopping at points that no longer really exist and pulling the reader into that older world. There’s always a mystery about the past. And there’s always the similarities between the then and now.

I felt that strongly in writing my first published novel. I self published Remarkable Silence, an archaeological thriller, in 2013. The multi- period plot, a gift from my husband who also did much of the research, presents a “what if” set in biblical times and the 1990’s. I wanted to write a novel, controversy be damned, that deals with themes of religion, the hunger for power, and how bad people can sometimes do good things. It’s about both ancient and timely human concerns.

River with No Bridge, to be published by Five Star Publishing in 2017, begins in the late 1880’s. My main character is Irish immigrant Nora Flanagan who partners with a Chinese man to become one of the first settlers on the North Fork of the Flathead River. My mother planted the seed for Nora’s story. As we drove on Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park one day she casually remarked, “Someone should write a novel about the inholders.” Inholders were those who owned land in GNP before it became a national park in 1910. The government allowed them to keep their land to pass down to their descendants or to sell.

I began researching and constructing a plot. After rejections and revisions, and time taken to earn a living, I finished the book in its final version. It’s become the story I wanted to write of the wild place I love. I also wanted to pay homage to the immigrants who struggled so hard against loneliness and setbacks to make lives for themselves and their children.

Historical novel writing is like jumping into a vast river with backwaters, rapids, and powerful waterfalls. I like to go where the current takes me.

1. You are a self-described history buff and avid reader of historical fiction. What is your own history to date?

I’m a Montana native, happy to have come full circle. My husband and I live just a few miles outside Glacier National Park. I’ve lived in North Dakota, Michigan, South Dakota, and Alaska. My work life has included practicing law and teaching in colleges and public schools, most recently in Wales, an Inupiaq village on the tip of the Seward Peninsula on the Bering Strait. I devote my time now to writing, reading, hiking, visiting with friends, and watching movies. Our grown children live on each coast, and I visit them when I can and look forward to their visits with us.

2. You’ve written an archaeological thriller set in the Middle East and then switched to a frontier novel. What inspired you two such different stories?

Recent international events and personal history inspired me to write Remarkable Silence. So many groups claim to know the only route to divine approval. My husband actually thought up the “what if” plot and did much of the research. I took it from there. The world needs questioning, tolerance, and stories that grab readers’ imaginations.

As for River with No Bridge, I moved to Montana permanently in 1993 and fell in love with Glacier National Park and the country around it, especially the North Fork of the Flathead River. One day my mother and I were taking a drive around Lake McDonald inside the Park, and Mom said, “Someone should write a novel about the inholders.” Inholders were people who owned land inside what became Glacier National Park in 1910. I soon had thoughts of a story featuring an Irish immigrant woman who, after a series of life changing events, winds up settling on the North Fork with a Chinese man. River with No Bridge is the result. It will be published by Five Star Publishing in 2017.

Although the two books have different locations and time periods, I don’t see their themes as so different. Each has to do with tolerance, courage, freedom, and moral decisions.

3. Where and when do you work best?

I write in our small guest cabin, often all afternoon. Maybe because I was a self-employed single mom for many years, my irritating work ethic prods me to do maintenance chores before losing myself in the best life possible, being an author.

4. What tasks are involved in your writing life besides the strictly creative?
I belong to writers groups: Authors of the Flathead, the Historical Novel Society, Women Writing the West, and Montana Women Writers. Self-publishing and marketing Remarkable Silence turned out to be a steep learning curve. To satisfy my inner essayist, I have a blog that’s a mix of memoir and literary discussion, and contribute to Montana Women Writers’ blog, The View. I’m also working with the editors at Five Star to have River with No Bridge ready for publication in 2017. Marketing the books involves book signings, approaching sellers, speaking engagements, for just a few.

5. What are you reading now?

I begin each morning with a little poetry reading (Robinson Jeffers is a favorite.) or, more often these days, about ten pages from Will and Ariel Durant’s The Story of Civilization. I belong to a book club, Our Ladies of Perpetual Disappointment. In spite of our name, we encourage each other in the search for terrific books. The latest is The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich.

6. What will follow River with No Bridge?

I see it as the first of a trilogy about Nora and Jim Li’s family. Next will be Garden in the Sky to be followed by Not One Star Dulled. The former involves the family in WWI and its aftermath as well as the building of Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. The latter will take the family through WWII.

7. What advice would you give a beginning writer?

First, never give up. Second, join a good critique group. Third, search diligently for the agent or editor who is looking for what you write. They often have specific criteria for what will meet their needs. I found a publisher for River with No Bridge because I saw that the acquisitions editor for Five Star Publishing’s Frontier Line was to speak and listen to authors’ pitches at a Historical Novel Society Conference. I went, met with her, and now I have a publisher.