By Lynn Brown

When asked what surprised him most on the journey toward publication , first-time novelist Bill Higgs replies , “ The fact that I am a writer . I think I was 50 pages into Eden Hill when I said to myself , ‘ You know what ? I think you ’ re a writer !’”

Kentucky Boy

Bill has spent years as manager , publicist , and booking agent for his celebrity wife , Liz Curtis Higgs , but , ironically , he started work on his book before Liz ever wrote word one of any of her now published 31 books . Bill ’ s hometown , and the inspiration for his novel , is Nicholasville , Kentucky , population 4200 . Growing up there , life was easy-paced except for two events forever etched on Bill ’ s memory--a gasoline war triggered by the arrival of a brand name service station and an impromptu sit-in at his school the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King , Jr .

“ Usually , the black students had one corner . We whites sat elsewhere . That day there was one black student sitting at each table with white students . And , to my shame , I will say I was uncomfortable .”

The peaceful protest lingered with Bill for years . He read the banned book Catcher in the Rye , hiding it under the covers . Today , Bill says race relations “ is something I have a passion for .”

Bill never enjoyed writing assignments , although he remembers during high school “ several of us of a rather rebellious bent were writing our own versions of Shakespeare , which we sneaked onto the teacher ’ s desk .”

His writing horror story is the writing of his theology dissertation by typewriter , footnotes at the bottom of the page , and no erasures allowed . Because Hebrew is read right to left , he had to type each Hebrew word backward .

Through his adulthood , Bill limited his writing to academic papers and a column for the broadcasting publication Radio World , which ran for two years and was called “ Bottom Line Broadcasting : How to Do It on the Cheap .”

The Novelist Emerges

Twenty-five years ago , Bill began developing the idea that would become Eden Hill . “ I was always something of a storyteller , as was my father . Both of my grandfathers were storytellers . So I kind of came by it honestly .” Bill ’ s mother , an eighth-grade English teacher , influenced his use of language , writing , and story organization .

“ I began writing Eden Hill before Liz was published . I got to come along behind her and see what authorship and the publication process looked like .”

Bill became serious about finishing his novel five years ago . After Tyndale House Publishers accepted the manuscript , Bill told his editor to “ bleed all over the page ,” and the editor obliged . During three revisions , scenes were added and various characters were enhanced .

Bill admits he struggles with writing discipline . “ I carve out time when I can . Writing is not yet the priority it should be .” The Higgs ’ s daughter-in-law recently began to help with managing Liz ’ s correspondence and phone calls , which gives Bill more time to write .

Bill writes in bed and at the kitchen table . Most writing is done during the seasonal lulls in Liz ’ s speaking career and during a winter weekend retreat at an Indiana state park . With Eden Hill published , Bill is pursuing two possible future books : a sequel to Eden Hill and a novel set in 1948 .

Bill and Liz have planned publicity events together , including a Book Club Party book signing . A postcard mailing that advertises

Eden Hill and the re-release of Liz ’ s book Really Bad Girls of the Bible reads : “ A really bad girl meets a really good guy .”

Becoming a first-time author at his age sometimes startles other people . “ I ’ m sixty-four , but I don ’ t feel like an older folk . Someone said , ‘ You ’ re sixtyfour and you ’ re starting a new career ?’ I said , ‘ Why not ?’ You come with life experiences a younger person doesn ’ t have and that should be reflected in your writing .”

Eden Hill

Bill insists , “ I refuse to call something historical fiction if I ’ ve lived through the time period . I tend to call it Nostalgic Fiction . I ’ m interested in time periods that haven ’ t been written about . I tend to look for the calmer periods , such as post-World War II when soldiers were adapting to peacetime and Americans were coming to grips with the Cold War .”

Eden Hill is set in the early 1960s . Bill says , “ I was specifically writing to the Baby Boomers , which I think is an underserved readership . I also wrote my novel especially to appeal to male readers .” Higgs prefers to read gentler books . He notes that few Christian novels of

that style exist that appeal to men .

Bill ’ s naturally gentle voice fits the plot of Eden Hill perfectly . But the book is far from boring . It ’ s like a placid river with strong undercurrents and some whirlpools around the bends .

“ Eden Hill actually started as a short story called ‘ Gas Wars .’ Other characters started walking in . Before I knew it , it became a novel .”

Bill explains , “ Eden Hill is a composite of five actual communities . I boiled it

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“ I refuse to call something historical fiction if I ’ ve lived through the time period . I tend to call it Nostalgic Fiction . I ’ m interested in time periods that haven ’ t been written about . I tend to look for the calmer periods , such as post-World War II when soldiers were adapting to peacetime and Americans were coming to grips with the Cold War .”

down and distilled it .” His hometown became Clancy . Keene became Collards Mill . The name of Eden Hill is a twist on Mount Eden .

Characters are also mostly composite creations . The exception is Virgil Osgood , who runs the generic service station . He is based on Bill ’ s grandfather , Robert T . Higgs , a “ grease monkey who believed serving his customers was a ministry .”

Bill notes , “ Mostly I chose names that sounded like the characters . For example

, “ Madelaine Crutcher ’ s name sounds like her . I first named her Mackey , but there is a real Mackey Funeral Home , so I changed her name . The minister ’ s name , Eugene Caudill , is a combination of common eastern Kentucky names .

“ My goal in writing Eden Hill was to present a story that would make people think about what our values are and whether they ’ re entirely in keeping with our Statement of Faith . Success , in the way the world defined it in the sixties and still does , is to climb to the top , and if you climb over other people , so be it . Well , Scripture asks , ‘ Who is my neighbor ?’ That is where I ’ m coming from as a person and as a writer .”

Lynn Brown , RN , is a wife , mother , and grandmother living in Warsaw , Indiana . She has written for Christian Communicator , The Waynedale News , Church Libraries , The Aboite Independent , and Toastmasters ’ Magazine .

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