Good afternoon and Happy Mothers Day! I usually do these on Sunday because my favorite televangelists are on. And it’s how I wrote The Twelfth Window. So let’s get started. We’ve reached the final blog for The Twelfth Window. I will cover Chapters 57 through the Epilogue. Next time I will go through the entire blog and make links of all Scripture so that you can see for yourself instead of having to go grab a Bible (ah, the power of teh Internets). If you are doing a book club on The Twelfth Window, I think this will make life a little easier. I’m thinking that the Lord will help me to get started actively writing the next book in the series once I complete this blog. Let’s go!…
Chapter 57 begins with Lisa awakening from her three dreams and into the cold reality of her loss. Jonah 2:7-8 figure on pages 211, 214 and 215 of the book. Now, for a good part of the story, Lisa’s relationship with her dad had been strained because of Michael, and now that he’s out of the picture, Mr. Chess calls Lisa by her childhood nickname to re-endear himself to her. I wanted to bring the reader the empty and grey feeling that the Apostles must have felt on what we now call Holy Saturday. How do you think the religious authorities handled it? “He’s gone,” is most likely how they handled it.
Chapter 58 should be italicized but it isn’t because now Lisa is also a citizen of heaven, one of the benefits of us accepting Jesus as Our Lord. I emphasize in a couple of chapters that it’s understood that death is the final answer, even for good people. I think the Psalm or Isaiah says “their going forth seemed utter destruction.” Lisa takes the blame for the accident but an angel comes and prays for both of them. Subtext? The Jewish people are not to blame for the death of Jesus. I pointed this out in a previous chapter where Atael planted the tree that the car would eventually crash against.
Chapter 59 was easy to write; I only had to get my yearbook and remember what graduation afternoon was like, and it was just like it’s described in this book. Except I wasn’t sitting near any of my friends, I had to go look for them after we tossed our caps. Anyway, Scripture used in Chapter 59 are Lamentations 1:1, Isaiah 54:4, Luke 23:53. Pay attention to how Dormey handles everything from this chapter on out because it will figure prominently in the next book. I’ve decided to make Dormey, Kim and Rae the main characters in the next installment. Here’s another hint: Dormey represents St. Peter while Kim represents St. Paul. Like any decent best friend, Kim holds her tongue when Lisa reveals to the rest of her friends about her marriage. Like many teenagers, Lisa has yet to tell her parents, so the gang’s meeting shortly after graduation lets you know that I know!
Chapter 60 has no Scripture in it, but is a key part of the story because of Dormey’s emerging key role.
Chapter 61 has Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:14 and Wisdom 3:1-6. I used this chapter to show that even if Lisa’s dad was rather unsympathetic, her mother was the opposite and even had the potential to understand the deeper meanings of everything that had been going on. This chapter is an important doorway to the final chapter. I know that everyone deals with a loss differently; Lisa’s way was to get to the business of concentrating on her life… at least on the outside.
Chapter 62 gives us Scripture from Luke 12:52-53 and Matthew 10:34, Matthew 11:1. Lisa’s father shows his true colors in this chapter. I wanted the reader to not be surprised at his attitude but disgusted at his words. This is also a setup for the next book (and chapter) as much as it is my judgment on people who love money and power more than love and life.
Chapter 63 is the last chapter. Someone told me that there are 61 prophecies about Jesus Christ in the Old Testament and I did try to make the story 61 chapters… This chapter was among my favorite to write. It was also the first chapter that I wrote of The Twelfth Window. Scripture in this chapter are Luke 2:25-29, Luke 24:5-6, John 21:1, John 20:1-2, Matthew 16:16-19, Luke 24:27, 40-50, John 21:1, 1 Corinthians 15:55, John 20:19-20, Revelatioun 19:7-9, John 3:29, John 3:29, Matthew 28:16-20, Matthew 10:34-39 and Psalm 45:11-18. When you read this chapter you will understand why it has the most Bible references of all. Without giving away the ending, I will tell you what the meaning is of the setting. The ocean can symbolize the waters of baptism and the chasm between heaven and earth. The beach house symbolizes The Church or all the churches ever built. The items Lisa leaves behind represent the heritage that the Judaism has left to Christianity. Each member of the gang expressing themselves individually represents the Pentecost. Their meal together represents the Eucharist and how it is a prefigurement of the heavenly banquet. The way I described each member of the Gang’s good qualities are meant to represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Depending on your Christian denomination, the final sentence can represent either the Assumption or the Rapture. And for my Jewish readers, it is from the end of the Song of Songs.
The Epilogue was meant to be the close of this particular part of the bigger story that happens to include The Twelfth Window, but it still fits into the next book. Scripture here are Mark 16:9-10, 19-20, John 21:25, and 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. It also includes the meaning of the title of the book.
I hope that you enjoyed this blog! I’ll be taking time off from writing a new one but I will go through and make links of all the Bible verses that I used. I’m also on Twitter, @JenBoogie so you can contact me for speaking engagements and interviews. Once again, The Twelfth Window is available on www.amazon.com, www.twelvewindows.com, www.12thwindow.com, www.authorhouse.com, and elsewhere. Happy reading and God bless!
–J.M. Norwood
The Twelfth Window 