Thursday, October 14, 2009

By: Margaret Ontl, Hudson Star-Observer

Advent and adventure waiting to be had

Inspiration for the project are, front from left, Ethan and Pierson Winkelman;
in the back are the authors, Christine Winkelman and Sharon Altman. Photo by Margaret A. Ontl

As a mother you never know, if your family traditions will be cherished, adopted or ignored by the next generation. For Sharon Altman, her season of Advent traditions, detailed and complex were the foundation for a new book Destination: Bethlehem, A Family Advent Adventure.
“It started during Advent a couple of years ago,” said Christine Winkelman, Altman’s daughter. “When I was little there was always something special every day of Advent. I liked the tradition but I couldn’t find anything for my boys so I decided I should write one. I was just going to get it done and kept telling myself I can do this.”
“For years I had been toying with the idea to write an Advent book,” said Altman, so the mother and daughter teamed up and before they knew it they were spinning a yarn of high adventure perfect not only for Christine’s two sons but families everywhere.
“We started brain storming,” said Christine.
“Once we started it was never a question that it would get done,” said Sharon. The creative energy was unstoppable; the team spent four months writing it. Another six months were spent editing it and getting feedback from focus groups including Christine’s book club.
“We had a blast writing it,” said Christine. “It was a little obsessive. We are both creative so it was fun to have an outlet to work on.”
The first printing was self-published and the authors admit it took months to navigate the whole process. Today, they have a publisher. The book is available through their Web site, at bookstores and on Amazon.com
“It is written at the time of Christ’s birth,” said Christine. “We did a lot of research as to what life was like back then.” Their research yielded a wealth of facts, which rather than discarded, were included in the text at the end of each chapter as a Travel Guide to the Past.
The book is designed to be read one chapter each day beginning Dec. 1 and ending Dec. 24.
The chapters are short and intended to be read aloud.
“It builds anticipation,” said Sharon. “We wanted plenty of adventure for the boys.” The authors even include a list of items that would be appropriate activities, to go with each chapter.
Last night, this journalist sat down with Destination Bethlehem and found reading only one chapter was nearly impossible. So, I set it aside thinking it wouldn’t hurt to read it as it was intended, during Advent. The book is a page turner with the young protagonists journeying through Israel learning about life and having one adventure after another while doing it.
“Advent is a liturgical and reflective season,” said Sharon. “It is important to have that time to prepare for the Christmas season. It can be easily overlooked.”
“The book is like putting the Nativity story in a blender,” said Christine. “It gives parents a chance to sit down with their children each day.”
Now that the authors have paid for the initial expenses they have decided when they make a profit it will be donated to the benefit the children in St. Patrick’s sister parish in Central America.

For more information about Destination: Bethlehem go to: www.d-bethlehem.blogspot.com

http://www.hudsonstarobserver.com/event/image/id/7733/ http://www.hudsonstarobserver.com/event/article/id/36256/