So here\u2019s the deal:\u00a0 I know a lot about the Catholic faith.\u00a0 I also know a heck of a lot about Catholic Marian teaching and spirituality since I wrote Mary, Mother of the Son<\/em> (which will be out again as a single volume by the end of May, according to my new publisher, Marytown Press!\u00a0 Yay!).<\/p>\n Well, it\u2019s like this:\u00a0I\u2019m now trying to research a rather wild fantasy novel set in Europe during the opening days of World War II.\u00a0 My problem, of course, is that I am a lower-middle class Washingtonian who has never been to the continent (though I have seen a little bit of England, where the second and third acts of the novel will happen).\u00a0 Now, of course, the great thing about fiction is that you can just make stuff up, and this particular novel will be making up a lot of stuff beginning with a lulu of a liturgy celebrated at St. Peter\u2019s by a Mysterious Stranger (no, not Jesus)\u00a0and half the dogs, cats, rats, pigeons, mice, children, hobos and hookers in Mussolini\u2019s Rome\u2013as well as a lot of very confused Swiss Guards, tourists, gobsmacked clergy and maybe some over-active statues and a mule.\u00a0 And that\u2019s just the first chapter.<\/p>\n Still and all, there\u2019s this thing called \u201cversimilitude\u201d and I\u2019d like to be able to have some idea of what I\u2019m talking about when I babble about a journey across Europe.\u00a0 So I\u2019d like to get to Europe and see the places whereof I will write.\u00a0 Now, being what is known as \u201cbroke\u201d that ain\u2019t happening as a vacation.\u00a0 But it *could* happen if I went as part of work for somebody else.\u00a0 Work such as \u201chelping teach on a pilgrimage\u201d.<\/p>\n So, says I to myself, since you\u2019ve got this blog that people read, and some of those people go on things like pilgrimages in Europe, why not brashly throw out the idea of offering yourself to assist in teaching on a pilgrimage?\u00a0 The worst that can happen is that nobody responds.\u00a0 The best that can happen is that somebody says, \u201cHey!\u00a0 Let\u2019s bring Shea along on our pilgrimage from Rome, up through France, and on into Britain.\u00a0 He can periodically teach stuff about the faith and, in his down time, take notes for his novel!\u201d\u00a0 Win\/win!<\/p>\n So here I am brashly tossing that\u00a0idea out.\u00a0 If you or somebody you know is interested in such a proposal, please let me know.\u00a0 My son has already read the early draft of chapter one and hath pronounced it, \u201cAwesome\u201d.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know that I agree, but I do know that all novelistic awesomeness that beats in my breast will remain merely potential if I don\u2019t have any idea what I\u2019m talking about.\u00a0 So do let me know!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So here\u2019s the deal:\u00a0 I know a lot about the Catholic faith.\u00a0 I also know a heck of a lot about Catholic Marian teaching and spirituality since I wrote Mary, Mother of the Son (which will be out again as a single volume by the end of May, according to my new publisher, Marytown Press!\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[399],"class_list":["post-44182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-a-novel-idea"],"yoast_head":"\n