I just found this article on my great grandfather, Samuel Sudbury, which tells of his relationship to Brigham Young and John Taylor, the names of his three wives, and the fact that he was Superintendent of all Brigham Young’s mills for a time. Search for Sudbury (Samuel John).

http://www.archive.org/stream/latterdaysaintbi02jensrich/latterdaysaintbi02jensrich_djvu.txt

Someone told me today that it was John Taylor that my great grandfather hid at the mill, not Brigham Young. I didn’t think to try to find out what was true while I was writing my novel, because I’ve thought all my life it was Brigham Young. If I find out any thing more about the circumstances regarding John Taylor, I’ll let you know here.

But because of this, I have spent quite a significant amount of time pondering polygamy and its role not only in church history and other dispensations, but in the eternities as well. I ponder it not in the hope of ever practicing it, but that I might understand something of eternity and discipleship. My mother taught me that the plan of salvation is designed to make us only as happy as we want to be and no happier. Like Zoe’s mother, I must ask myself, “if this is heaven, is heaven what I want?”

Perhaps “understanding” polygamy is not the correct idea in play here. I could just as easily say “categorizing” polygamy or understanding “sacrifice” and ponder along the same pathway, I feel. The Prophet Joseph taught that we must be prepared to sacrifice even as Abraham, whom I also wonder about. Was he better off for the experience of almost sacrificing his son, or was he scarred by it? What does it do to a man to learn that he is capable of sacrificing his only son for the Lord? Because this story didn’t end when they descended the mount. What passed between Abraham and Isaac whenever they looked at each other forever after that? And what’s more, what passed between Abraham and Sarah? Perhaps she rejoiced that her husband had obeyed the Lord in Moriah. Perhaps she dreaded that he would again on some future day. Their bond and the measure of their discipleship is as inscrutable to me as that between a man and plural wives. I have no desire to ever sacrifice any of my children — the thought is horrifying — and yet I would be a disciple worthy of a place at the right hand of God. Perhaps, I only want to be “so” happy, and no more.

Thus, without reading the novel, I sympathize with both Zoe’s mother and father. I wonder if there isn’t something akin to Abraham and Sarah at play here. Although in this case, the Abraham in question seems to have gone to the land of Moriah with the hope — but not the commandment — of meeting the Lord upon the mount.

Ah-ha! I should have known that chanson would have reviewed Torn by God already.

Exactly! When it comes to indie-published works on the fringes of Mormon culture, you know I’m on the job! :D

With regard to the other e-book formats, we do 7 (used to do 8, but no longer fiddling with EPUB), for different devices and software. Give me a shout if you’d like to talk.

/derailment of thread