Claudia Cangilla McAdam’s Web site says she’s been writing for
three decades — authoring a dozen books and numerous magazine and
newspaper articles and stories. Her most recent book, “Awakening,”
tells of a 14-year-old girl’s time travel back to Jerusalem of 2000
years ago, when Jesus was in the community and teaching.
The writer says she’s had the idea in her mind for a number of
years.
“I work every day and always have books and manuscripts out to
publishers.”
In 2006, with a story idea fleshed out, she and her family
traveled to the Holy Land, where she walked through Biblical sites,
such as the ancient Hezekiah’s tunnel, used as an escape route in
the story. Her vivid images of how the city looked, sounded,
smelled in historic times adds greatly to what she calls “fantastic
reality” in her tale (versus fantasy realism). The first draft was
completed in 2007.
There are occasional references to Frank Baum’s classic “Wizard
of Oz” and some parallels in structure — including the life lessons
part: girl is transported to another world, populated by a version
of characters who are in her present-day world. She is awakened to
what’s really important.
Catholic American teen Ronnie/Veronica, who has problems with
her parents and is not very interested in her faith life, becomes
ill and awakes transported into the body of a Jewish girl,
Serephina, in early Jerusalem, one who knows what the future holds
for Jesus. Should she/could she try to stop it? She is in the Upper
Room at the Last Supper, with the disciples, yet has the scriptural
writings about the scene and people which came later, in her mind.
Interesting dilemma.
McAdam’s deep Catholic faith has led her to to new scholarly
pursuits, which supported the challenge of creating this book. She
has enrolled in a master’s degree program in Biblical Theology at
the Augustine Institute, a fairly new Catholic graduate program,
that offers on-site classes, as well as distance learning for
teachers and scholars.
“I’m on the four-year plan,” she says happily — one class at a
time.
She is writing, attending Mass daily, teaching a quarterly
poetry writing class for kids at Highlands Ranch Library, making
school visits, taking care of a toddler grandson one day a week and
more. Her next title, scheduled in spring 2010, is “Riddle at the
Rodeo,” about a teenage girl sleuth, in the spirit of plucky “Nancy
Drew” — a McAdam favorite when she was young.
In addition, each Monday night includes a trek to the Augustine
Institute’s headquarters at Colorado Heights University campus
(formerly Teikyo Loretto Heights on Federal Boulevard, where
several educational organizations are located), for a class in
ancient and medieval history, with the Church in context. Her study
of scriptures led her to picture the characters who surround
Ronnie/Serephina in the Jerusalem landscape.
“We should put ourselves in the scene when reading scriptures,”
she declares.
McAdam met with a pilot focus group of middle school girls at
St. Marys Littleton while she was working on the book and has
started meeting weekly with a book discussion group of girls and
boys at St. Thomas More School in Centennial. Although published by
a Catholic press, with an apparent niche market in mind, the book
will interest many teenage history buffs with its ability to take
the reader far, far away. The writer has created lesson plans and
discussion questions for teachers who want to use the book with
their students. See www.claudiamcadam.com for
information.
McAdam is scheduled for book signings:
7 p.m. Dec. 4 at Tattered Cover Highlands Ranch, 9315 Dorchester
St., Highlands Ranch, 303-470-7050
3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Dec. 5 and 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday,
Dec. 6 at St. Thomas More Gift Shop, 8035 S. Quebec St.,
Centennial, 303-221-9229.
Other dates will be on the Web site.
