Blog Tour - Final Day

Names Speak for Themselves in Lost Mission

(click image for Amazon link or click link below)

Lost Mission - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1416583475
Author Web site - http://www.atholdickson.com/
Author blog - http://whatatholwrote.blogspot.com/

In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Well, this is the final blog tour day for Athol Dickson's book, Lost Mission, so I thought it might be a good way to close by discussing the author's use of descriptive names and how the book's title holds a double meaning.

Delano Wright, one of the main characters, feels his actions are vindicated for following the rules makes him 'right'. He shares traits with the Pharisees because he wants to protect the status quo, and knows that rules are rules, and so rules must be followed.

Tucker Rue, is a counterpoint to Delano's strict rule adherence. Tucker believes rules exist, but should only be followed when they are beneficial. The one rule he does follow is the ends justify the means. As he strays farther from what he knows deep down is right, he works harder to justify his actions. Tucker Rue's name fits as characters who deal with him for long, come to Rue or regret the relationship. By the time his sins are made known to him, he begins to regret or rue himself.

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, many of the characters started out with good intentions. When they took their eyes off God they lost their life's focus or mission. This was true in the past with the Franciscan monks as their mission to build an abbey and lead the unsaved to Christ, was forgotten in a flurry of enforced rules and striking back for perceived wrongs. Eventually the physical Mission itself falls into ruin and is forgotten; lost to time and to memory.

With the discovery of the lost Mission, old wrongs and sins are revisited on the modern towns and people. Delano and Rue want their respective churches to succeed, but are their reasons for their missions good and true? It's not until the original mission is restored that wrongs are righted and evil desires overcome.

*Participants’ links
Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
New Authors Fellowship
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
KM Wilsher

Blog Tour - Day 2

Sometimes Suffering Occurs Even When You Did the Right Thing

(click image for Amazon link or click link below)

Lost Mission - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1416583475
Author Web site - http://www.atholdickson.com/
Author blog - http://whatatholwrote.blogspot.com/

In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Dickson manages to portray similarities between the two periods, 1870s and present, by comparing a character from the past with a character from the present. Alejandro thinks himself plain, and shows his faith by helping others without complaint. One of three Franciscan monks, Alejandro should feel a part of the group, but keeps finding fault with the failure of faith by others. When the Abbot, Fray Guillermo, decides to punish an innocent Indian who appears at their camp by placing a heavy stone burden on his back, Alejandro grabs a stone that he might share the Indian's burden in spirit if not in person.

In the present, Lupe helps young missionary, Tucker Rue, with founding and opening a mission that ministered to her people, the Hispanics, who crossed the desert for a chance at a new, and better life in America. Like Alejandro, Lupe, feels others have lost sight of the true meaning behind a church, and a mission. She sees many sins, even among church members, that go unchallenged. Peoples' priorities are completely out of balance.

Alejandro had begged his Abbot to help those less fortunate by sharing out of their abundance with the Indians. Lupe shared out of her meager money supply to help the disadvantaged. As she rides past the great churches in town, she dwells on how much might be done for the poor if the rich only shared their tithe rather than building ever larger houses of worship. This theme of withholding money by the rich is repeated frequently by Tucker Rue and Lupe. Maybe that was part of their character's financial background growing up and the reason both dwell on the subject.

A contrast to the the poor in the past is Fray Guillermo. The abbot has a large storehouse of wealth used to set up the mission, and takes comfort in counting and recounting their supplies. He struck me as a type of religious miser. Ready to pitch in when it came to enlarging their building, but withholding when it came to the Indians that they planned to minister to. Guillermo sees everything as either black or white, like the Pharisees of old. Rules must be followed at all cost, even if the reasons for following them have been lost over time.

Delano Wright is the modern day rich man. After his daughter's car is struck by a group of illegals in a truck, Delano retaliates in the manner he knows best. He concocts a plan to move money at his mega-church from local missions, temporarily, into a giant land development that will grow the church even larger. Because of a broken promise, Delano feels completely within his rights, and justifies his actions by saying the legal maneuvering will help the church. Delano also sees everything as cut and dry. Yet the more he tries to follow his set of rules, the more at odds he becomes with life around him.

The next contrast between centuries is that of Fray Benicio and Tucker Rue. Both men are new in their life's mission, but both take steps to expedite what they see as the 'proper' goal of their respective missions. Benecio leaves the abbey and take what he needs to win over the unchurched out the confines of the abbey and the abbot. When the Abbot refuses to share a small bag of grain, Benico takes it. His actions cause an innocent man to face the a whipping at the stocks.

Tucker Rue falls for a rich girl, and convinces himself that marrying her will help others by accessing her money so he does this for unselfish reasons. When faced with a great need by someone with a sick child, he yields to temptation, causing many to lose jobs their families depended upon.

Tomorrow, I'll discuss how some character names seem to fit the person, and what it seems is the meaning behind the title, Lost Mission.

Tomorrow: Names Speak for Themselves in Lost Mission

*Participants’ links
Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
New Authors Fellowship
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
KM Wilsher

Blog Tour - Day 1

A Tale of Two Centuries

(click image for Amazon link or click link below)

Lost Mission - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1416583475
Author Web site - http://www.atholdickson.com/
Author blog - http://whatatholwrote.blogspot.com/

In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

As I read the first few pages I wasn't too sure what to make of this story. Lost Mission transitions indiscriminately between the 1770s and the present. This seemed a little confusing in spots until I started to get used to the method. As the story progresses, the author brings the reader up to speed by connecting the tale of two centuries through the characters and areas.

I'll admit I alternately liked and disliked Lost Mission at first. The story spent a lot of time in developing and describing one character or setting, then seemed to jump back to the other period and character. It was kind of like a playground see-saw - one side then the other side is more important. And, like a see-saw, Lost Mission is entertaining as time goes by and you grow used to the ride.

Lost Mission begins with the tale of a newly founded mission in 1770s southern California. Athol Dickson very aptly describes the harsh life of a Spanish monk during this period, and the harsher life of the unsaved 'pagans'. The most important of these is Fray, or Friar, Alejandro Tapia Valdez, a deeply devout Franciscan monk. His mission is to preach Christ to the the unsaved in the New World. Skip forward to the present, and the reader is introduced to Guadalupe Soledad Consuelo de la Garza, or Lupe, whose mission is to preach Christ to the ungodly Americans of southern California.

Both Alejandro and Lupe are strongly committed in their faith, yet both encounter obstacles that sidetrack them from their mission. Tomorrow, I'll discuss more about the many interesting characters in Lost Mission, and how they seem at complete odds with these two missions that are separated by centuries.

But, what is the two missions' connection with the sparkling haired Indian seen by both Alejandro and Lupe, though hundreds of years and miles apart? Does he mean good or evil for their goals?

Tomorrow: Sometimes Suffering Occurs Even When You Did the Right Thing.

*Participants’ links
Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
New Authors Fellowship
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
KM Wilsher