It's coming, I promise.

So, it has been fun getting so many emails and phone calls from folks who are anxious for Becoming Isaac, but I am sorry I can't yet offer you a firm date when the book will be available. I am sorry about that. We are still working through the layout. It is nearly 11pm and I am just getting ready to leave to work on the book with my buddy, Bert. I had to get a few last photos for the book--some bread, a hat and some other small things, that will go into the book at chapter heads. Believe me, I too am looking forward to seeing the finished product.
It was really fun to be in Park City this last weekend for the Arts Festival and have so many people stop by and thank me for writing the books. I am happy it is reaching so many from so many different walks in life. One woman left me with a long note, detailing her journey of faith, stating that my books have helped her to recognize the love of God in her life again. I read the letter with my wife and we both cried as we read this woman's words. I do not know her name, but I know she will probably read this, so I want to say thank you. Your letter made my day. Hearing things like that make the turmoil and sacrifice of time and treasure worthwhile. This has been a journey of faith for me, too. I talk about this in the last chapter of Becoming Isaac. Faith is perhaps the biggest and most important and most potentially troubling journey that we face in this life. We are all spiritual beings having an terrestrial experience and sometimes that experience is tough--okay, maybe it's always tough.
As I read this woman's letter, I was struck with the realization of all that I have learned along this journey. I have mentioned it before many times, but this is not my story. I was simply at the right place at the right time and felt compelled to write the story that came into my heart and mind. The wisdom and love was a gift, as I suppose all true wisdom and love is. I wish I could claim it as my own, but I realize how blessed I have been to be a part of it. It is not my own, but it has become truth that I have learned, and hope to spend the rest of my life implementing. Those who know me best, know there is no way I could possibly have come up with this stuff on my own. I am irreverent and more inclined to potty jokes. This experience has made me grow and stretch and, yes, become something much more than I naturally am.
Thank you for your kind accolades and encouragement. I have loved hearing about your stories and your interactions with Isaac's books. Thank you. The snowball began with a tiny snowflake, but it is gaining momentum and mass and moving forward. Thank you for telling your friends about the books and thank you for your reviews on Amazon. There are nearly 65 reviews combined for the two books on Amazon and they are all positive. This is amazing to me. I am a potter, pretending to be a writer, but somehow the words I was compelled to write are reaching your hearts and touching lives and opening minds to the love of God. That is more than I ever could have asked for.
So, I will let you in on a secret. Many have asked about the name of my press, Abendmahl. Abendmahl is a German word. If you google it, you will probably be sent to a host of sites that have pictures of the last supper. The word literally means, evening meal. I like the idea of people sitting down to break bread together as they share stories and truth. I was very much directed as to what I should call my press.(When you self-publish, you get to make up your own press.) On either side of the name are symbols, wheat and grapes. These are not just nice pictures, but have deep meaning to me and other Christians throughout the world. If you think what they become, the answer is clear. Grapes become wine and wheat becomes bread. The sacrament--symbols of the greatest sacrifice this world will ever know. It was my hope that like the great books of C.S. Lewis, these books might help us understand the love of God in a more simple and understandable way. I believe the third book, Becoming Isaac will do that in a beautiful way. I cant wait to share it with you. Thanks again for sharing your comments. Your encouragement keeps me going when I am tired, stressed, discouraged and wondering why I should spend $20,000 on the next book. A much older and wiser friend of mine recently told me that when you choose to walk in faith, there is really no such thing as sacrifice. It is simply a way of life. Cheers.

Almost Half Way Done with Layout

I am not a patient person, so this has been really hard. Bert, my buddy and graphic designer for my books has been working on the book, but it is going slower than we both hoped. He was laid off from his job last December which has required that he take on many freelance jobs to pay his bills--part of life in this economy, I suppose. I was ready to get things moving with the layout a little bit before he was and I have needed to cool my heals while I have waited for him to finish with other work. He is a talented guy, and someone I can really work with. He scheduled a vacation for this week with his family, anticipating that we would be done with Becoming Isaac. Well, it is unfortunately not done. He has completed 20 of the 51 chapters, so we're nearly half way. Next Monday, he begins a new job as artistic director at a engineering firm, so my goal of having the book ready for the Park City Arts Fest will not be a reality. I am sorry. I feel like I have let many of you down, but Bert has taken his computer with him on vacation and with any luck, we will be at the half way point or beyond when he returns.

I have been nursing a nasty wound for the last week. I went water skiing on the 24th with my brother-in-law at East Canyon. I have not skied in many years, but after getting up and doing well, I decided I would jump the wake. I did this many times with grace and skill, or at least as much of that as I could muster from my tired bones. Then I crashed. I hyper extended my knee and tore my hamstring, resulting in a bruise that runs from my ankle to my butt on my right leg. It is probably the closest thing I will ever get to a tattoo. I was disappointed at first that it was only black and purple, but over the last few days, it has been fading to a nice array of rainbow colors; blue, yellow, red, purple and green. It's pretty awesome. I'd include a picture, but it might induce vomiting and I would not want to be responsible for spoiled furniture.

The timing of this injury could not have been worse. I am swamped, trying to get ready for the festival which begins this Friday. I feel very fortunate that I was not injured worse. (Another reveler at the lake that day, a man who shared my last name, drowned in shallow water.) So, I learn once again that no matter how bad life may seem, it could always be worse.

I am tired, but I am excited for this weekend and even more excited about this forth coming book. The artwork is fabulous and the story is thought provoking and healing. I have learned a lot from each of the books, but this last one is by far the best. You are going to love it. I will keep you updated on our progress. Sorry, once again, for the delay. I am receiving emails and phone calls daily from people all over the United States, anxious to get their hands on a copy of Becoming Isaac. I will just say, I am too.

If you dont have anything better to do this weekend, come and see me at the Park City Arts Festival. If you come on Friday night, it's free to get in, cooler and less crowded. Hope to see you there. Ben

Onward, ever onward!

So, it has been a busy week. My buddy Bert has been working on my book, working out the format and fonts and uploading artwork. I forgot how labor intensive my books are. I have spent twenty hours this week working on artwork for the book and I think I probably still have another 50 hours. Bert on the other hand probably has another 90 hours. Bert got some good news this week. He was laid-off from his job in January and has been doing a lot of free-lance work since then. On Friday, he received a great offer from a local design firm for a better job than he had before. He and his wife are very excited. I am too. He starts on August 9th so that means we have a lot of work to do to make sure we are done before that.

My books have each taken about 100 hours to layout. That seems like a lot, especially when normal books take only about ten hours to design. I have never been normal. Bert and I have a lot of fun working together. It is like two kids sitting down with an endless supply of Tinkertoys. The fun never ends as we build on each other's ideas.

Each chapter of this book will begin with a numbered tile--each one hand-made. I think i might be insane to spend so much time on these books, but I am hoping you all enjoy them--that you feel like they are as much of an experience as they are for me--like you can find yourself in Niederbipp, eating Sam's bread, drinking Isaac's tea, falling in love with Jake and Amy as they discover the truths that are all around them. This has been a most enjoyable experience. I am excited to share this last book with you. It feels like it is by far the very best. I find myself dreaming about it at night and thinking about it all day as I am frantically trying to get ready for the Park City Arts Festival, the first weekend in August. So, try to stay cool. Read a good book, and Viva Niederbipp! Ben

Layout For Becoming Officially Begins Today

That's right. After a long and tedious editing time, we began today with the layout and design for the book. The cover art for this one is amazing. My friend, Erin Westenskow Berret, did the artwork--an amazing picture--she paints like Amy, and I can still afford her. You are going to want one of her pictures too as soon as you see the artwork. I spent the day working on my doodles and sketches for the book. I am a little stressed out with all I have to do. I was accepted to the Park City Arts Festival this year and have several firings I need to do in order to be ready so I will have a lot of late nights between getting ready and finishing the book. It is the twelfth of July and I am still hoping and thinking we might have it done for the festival which is on the 7th and 8th of August this year. Then I am really going to need a break.

I have been amazingly unmotivated to make pottery lately. I am sure the heat has a lot to do with it, but I am really enjoying the writing. I have two more books that are screaming at me to begin them, and I really want to, but I have to finish this one, make pots, provide for my family and find an agent.

I am glad folks are enjoying my books. I have sold over 12,000 copies now. Most of those have been passed around because we love to share books and, yes, we're cheap, :) so I am guessing that with only 12,000 copies sold, I have had nearly four million people read my books. ;)I may be off just a bit. I never hoped to get rich by this, but it would be nice to break even. Somehow, I know it will work out.

So, for those of you who have been waiting, I am going to suggest that if you want to get the most ouf to book three, you should probably reread the first two. You may have to get them back from Aunt Edna or your fourth cousins sister's grandpa, but I garauntee it will be worth it. Cheers. Ben

Arts Festival Keeping Me Busy

I am still a full time potter, and I am still making my living by making pots. This weekend I am at the Utah Arts Festival, selling both my books and my pots. It has been fun to have so many folks come in to my booth who have read my books.

After finishing the writing of book three, I have done nothing but make pots for the past few weeks to get ready for this show. I have been getting up early and working until midnight or later every night to get ready, but it paid off. I have lots of wonderful pots to fill my booth. I am excited to get back to writing though. I should have my manuscript back from my editor on Monday so I will go through that next week and I plan to begin layout the following week. I think things will take off quickly after that. I am really excited about the third book. The stories from this one have resounded in my mind over and over again over the last few weeks and I am excited to share them with all of you.

I am looking for an agent. If any of you have any suggestions, I am all ears.

I am suggesting to all my readers that you will get the most out of this third book if you re-read the first and second ones before jumping into the final book. There are lots of details that will make this more meaningful if you do.

I've got to go get ready for the day. I'll write more later. Cheers

Fertig-- that's German for finished!

So it already past midnight so its a new day, but on Thursday at 4:03 pm, I finished Becoming Isaac. Finished is really a generous word in this case. I know I still have lots to edit and review and rewrite, but I made my goal to have this portion done by the weekend. For the last three weeks, I have been writing nearly non-stop--12-14 hours a day with only Sundays off. It has been weeks since I have been to bed before midnight. I am tired, but I made it. Viva Niederbipp. YOu're going to love it!

Last Costco Booksigning Until Fall, Tomorrow at Bountiful Costco

That's right, tomorrow is my last book signing at Costco until probably September or October. I'll be there from noon to six.To be honest, I am not very upset about it. The universe seems to be telling me this is okay. I had two singings last week and ended up leaving early from each one because they were so abissmally slow. I signed on 9 books at Lehi in three hours. This is really strange because Lehi has been one of my better stores where I am accustomed to signing 50-70 books every time I sign. I dont know what to say other than that the economy is weak and people usually buy less books in the summer than the winter.

I am glad this will give me a chance to finish the third book, the writing portion of which should be done by Wednesday! I also need to make pottery. My shelves are empty after the Mother's Day Sale and I have the Utah Arts Festival coming up in a month. I need a break somewhere here, but I am already feeling the winds blow and the ideas I have had for another book are coming quickly. As always, it is coming at a very inconvenient time.

I am really enjoying this third book. I feel like it has come faster and is better than the others in depth and truth. I feel like I have been taught by the universe and I am grateful for the opportunity I will so have to share it with you. I have some fun ideas for the layout of this book too. I appreciate so many of you who are emailing and calling, encouraging me to hurry up. I promise I am moving as fast as I can. If I can make some good progress tonight, I should be able to finish tomorrow night. Then edits, and minor rewrites, copy edits, layout and design and whatever else is necessary. I am tired, but I am motivated to finish. Cheers. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow. The books should be in Costco until the first week in June.

I've Got Some Good News And Some Bad News

So, the good news is that I have made some great progress with the book in the last week and I hope to be done writing by the end of this week!

The bad news is that I just got off the phone with my distributor with the news that Costco is yanking my books about June 1st. I am writing you all to tell you this so if you want to pick up copies at the costco price, you have two weeks to do it. Apparently, sales have been slower and so they have decided to let it go. I am not sure what that means long term. My distributor believes they can get book 3 into Costco by September. I was shooting to have it done by the end of July, but things rarely work out the way we plan. I am still shooting for July to have my book done, but you may have to come to my studio to pick it up until we can work it back in. If you have book clubs that are reading the books in the coming months, let them know that now would be a great time to buy it from the shelves at Costco. The books will still be available from Deseret Book, Barnes and Noble and other book sellers, including Amazon.com

I am trying to figure out how I feel. Disappointed. Tired. Overworked and underpaid. Feeling like in the long run, this may be in a good thing as it is offering me the incentive to go out and find an agent to represent me so I can find a big publisher in New York. It will definately free up some time for me to make pottery and be with my family, but I am nevertheless, disappointed.

The Story of the third book has really taken on some incredible dimensions lately. I am excited about the things I am learning and the way I am growing along the way. I feel like the universe is open and dumping all sorts of things down the shoot and into my heart.

So, life goes on. I am excited for what lies ahead--that great unknown that keeps me humble. Cheers, Ben

Stomach Flu is not fun.

Yeah, so I was scheduled to sign today at the Orem Costco, but I won't be there because of the stomach flu. I'll be hanging around my bathroom instead, and trying to write where I can. Sorry to anyone who was planning to drop by. I will have to catch you another time. Cheers, Ben

If wishes were fishes...

... then I wouldnt have to worry about making a living to support my book habits.

I have been working on pottery and welding and cleaning for the past few days instead of writing which makes me crazy. I need to make pottery to pay for my book writing habits, but I have to write to keep my brain from exploding. It's a tough place to be. I wish I could buy myself more time. I have a studio open house this weekend.

Announcing !

Wild Rooster Artworks Annual Mother's Day Open House and Sale

May 7th and 8th 9am-5pm

1150 E 800 South

Salt Lake City, Utah

Behind the house in the studio.

After sending out 1500 postcards, my mom called to ask if I forgot that my youngest brother is getting married on the 7th ... so I won't be here much of the day on Friday, but I will be around all day on Saturday. My friend will be playing shop for me on Friday after 11. I think my brain cells are suffering for all the stress.

So, after this weekend, I am seriously getting back in the saddle and getting some serious writing done. I promise! Maybe I'll see you on Saturday. I have a plethora of really great new pots and garden art. Plus, it is worth coming just to see the new mosaic on the gazebo behind my home. I hope to see you soon. VIVA NIEDERBIPP!