The Magdalene Mystery, Christine Sunderland (OakTara)

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This is my third Sunderland novel, and, as good as the others were, it is by far the best. Ms. Sunderland skillfully crafts a tale that balances intrigue with history, while sprinkling in a touch of adult romance--by that I mean romance as it was intended for adults to pursue and for youth to witness as an example.

Her godfather, Father Gilbert, bequeaths Kelly Roberts a legacy richer in truth and spirit than in gold. She is to seek his magnum opus, a manuscript containing his painstaking research on the historically true Mary Magdalene, who has been reinvented time and time again by modern "scholarship," contorted beyond recognition for reasons both spiritual and humanistic. Kelly is to travel to Italy with an associate of Father Gilbert's, Professor Daniel Weaver, and together they piece together the mysterious trail of clues her godfather left using the Apostle's Creed as the cipher key. Thus, Ms. Sunderland takes us on a tour of the magnificent cathedrals, monuments, and grottos of Italy's and France's early Christendom, picking up, piece by piece, her legacy along the way. Pursued by Dr. Lester Sansby, who desperately wants the manuscript for his own nefarious purposes, Kelly and Daniel must stay a step ahead to keep their prize from falling into the hands of its worst enemies.

The history-rich narrative is smoothed, even caressed, by Ms. Sunderland's exquisite prose. You'll learn a great deal, whether that's your intention or not, gripped by the tension and suspense surrounding the fate of Father Gilbert's manuscript and the gradual revelation of Kelly's parents' murder. (Oh, I didn't mention that, did I?)

The agenda is clear: the exoneration of Mary Magdalene's reputation from the hands of modern historical revisionists. But the agenda never overrides the storyline. Ms. Sunderland is subtle, objective, and honest in her treatment of the mysteries of history and of faith. The pendulum need not swing to an angle too acute to dispel belief for the message to come across effectively and with class. It takes an even mind and skillful pen to accomplish that. Ms. Sunderland displays both.

Flawless research, enviable prose, gentle heartfelt delivery. "The Magdalene Mystery" is a must-have for parish libraries and should be encouraged for both young adult and mature reading. Highly recommended

Bravo, Christine!

Now for a little insight into Christine Sunderland.  After you read the interview, take a moment to leave a comment (a question, an observation, your choice) for the chance to win a copy of The Magdalene Mystery. A winner will be selected next Sunday, October 27th.  Please be sure to leave your email address in the comment, so I can contact the winner.

 

 

Okay, Christine, tell us a little about yourself; for example, when did you begin writing?  What inspired you to start?

 

I discovered writing late in life. I never intended to write novels (just read them), but my travels to Europe led to meditative journals, and these led to stories. I loved reading from an early age, and my English Lit degree encouraged me to create plotlines and characters from my voluminous notes. I was fascinated by the historical sites my husband and I visited in Western Europe, so that when I was home I audited classes in Western Civilization. We often traveled with our bishop, a formidable inspiration and fount of wisdom. The history of the West took shape in my mind, and I was struck by how it reflected the history of Christianity, the history of belief.  I read historians Barbara Tuchman, Paul Johnson, Peter Brown, Thomas Cahill,  Gertrude Himmelfarb, and Eamon Duffy. Theologians, mystics, and other writers inspired me as well: Raymond Raynes, Dom Gregory Dix, Alexander Schmemann, Russell Kirk, Evelyn Underhill, Luke Timothy Johnson, and, of course, C. S. Lewis, among many.

 

A heady list of literary heroes indeed.  What motivated, or still motivates, you to select the genre and themes you write about?

 

God's active presence in our world, in history and in the present, inspires me to write of goodness, truth, and beauty—T.S. Eliot's "permanent things." I write from a Christian worldview, a world with characters who love and suffer and sacrifice, who desire to be good and true, or search for goodness and truth, and who wonder at the beauty around them, who are wonderful.

 

I am also motivated by today's cultural crises – abortion, euthanasia, the role of sexuality and the body, the nature and challenges of marriage, the demands of love. I try to explore the Christian answer to why we suffer (C. S. Lewis's “problem of pain”), the Christian view of life and death, and the role of the Church in all of this. I am fascinated by belief itself, by apologetics (I was converted by Lewis's Mere Christianity), by Christianity's historical foundations and its present challenges. It has been said that "all doubt is moral." There are, in other words, lifestyle implications to belief.

 

That comes out very clearly in The Magdalene Mystery. The reader can’t help but notice that the hits Kelly has taken in life that have greatly affected her faith.  It seems difficult for her to shake them off for much of her journey.  Is it fair to ask if she is modeled after someone you personally know (no names expected, of course), or does she represent  a more generic character figure?

 

Kelly is, like each of my characters, a composite of people I have known. Kelly represents generations of young people threatened by our highly sexualized and starkly agnostic culture, a "post-Christian" culture.  And Kelly reflects some of my own history too. Like Kelly, I was a single parent raising a young son in an apartment in Walnut Creek. My apartment was robbed and ransacked;  I also longed for a life of safety, especially as a mother.  We live in a culture of escalating crime. The marginalization of church and temple has allowed the collapse of moral authority in the public square; the breakup of the family has contributed as well, for it is the family that passes moral values to the next generation.  And like Kelly, my parish church was like a family. The description of Kelly's church, St. Mary's, is based on my own church, St. Peter's in Oakland.

 

So there is some of Christine in Kelly.  I think that makes her more real, more personable. In what ways do you think, or hope, her story might benefit readers?

 

Hopefully, Kelly's story will create a firmer foundation for belief in Christianity.  From belief, that first step of faith, all else follows; i.e., a life of meaning and joy.  Kelly is a thinking young adult, but she hasn't thought through her belief system, and now she is forced to examine it, to face and define it, rather than slide along, buffeted by cultural trends.  I want to give young adults a way forward through the jungle of our world, to show them that Christian belief is rational and reasonable and can, to a satisfying degree, be supported with historical evidence.  

 

The reader also can’t help but see a depth of struggle in Daniel too.  He seems to wrestle with aspects of his faith and where they might be leading him.  Is there a message for the reader in his story too?

 

Daniel has experienced the power of lies, the tragic consequences of slander and distrust. In this, he has faced evil. He is a knight on a mission to clean up his world, to protect the innocent from the not-so-innocent Internet. He grapples with God's demands upon him; he searches for God's will. These are struggles believers face daily.  We journey with him as he searches, realizing these conversations with God are pleasing to God, just like Jacob's wrestling with God at Bethel.

 

The historical perspective delivered in The Magdalene Mystery—particularly what Daniel and the enigmatic Teresa recite so fondly to Kelly as she learns of her spiritual heritage—is phenomenal.  How did you research your material?

 

I was led to excellent and generous sources, and in the process created a team that supported my writing. The Rev. Dr. Paul Russell, the Dean of St. Joseph of Arimathea Theological College in Berkeley and a New Testament scholar, provided me with a hefty reading list to bring me up to speed on how we "do history," as well as the historical Jesus movements of the last century. Father Russell also read the manuscript in its early and late stages. Then I located Dr. Michael Donley, a British scholar and French translator, author of St. Mary Magdalen in Provence. He graciously read early and late drafts, and provided copious notes, even assisted with the French. Finally, a sweet and lively British nun at St. John Lateran in Rome read the material and helped me with the Corpus Christi procession and other scenes in Rome, as well as the Lateran's history regarding Mary Magdalene, a mystery I found fascinating.  Lastly, the work of Carl E. Olson and Amy Welborn were most useful and inspiring in terms of understanding what we know about Mary Magdalene and the world in which she lived.

 

Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code made claims that were clearly untrue about Mary Magdalene, yet so many readers believed these lies. I wanted to set the record straight in a format not unlike his own. So the story of Mary Magdalene, in the Gospels and in histories copied on codices through the centuries, opened a door to examining what we know and what we don't know about those first years of Christianity. Just as Mary Magdalene was the first to touch the risen Christ and the first to witness to the Resurrection, I wanted to build a trustworthy foundation for my readers so that they could reach and touch him too.

 

And you succeeded beautifully in doing just that. You mentioned you and your husband visited many of the settings in which the story takes place. Do you have any favorites?

 

The churches described in The Magdalene Mystery are all glorious. I love the American church Santa Susanna for its ethereal frescoes (my books are in their parish library); La Maddalena is a jewel box and home of the Camillians, the Order of the Ministers of the Sick (say hello to Father Paulo if you visit); the Basilica of Maria Maggiore is stunning with its crèche under the high altar and the St. Luke Madonna; Santa Croce's blue apse and the ancient side chapel of St. Helena, Constantine's mother, are unforgettable; San Giovanni Laterano's nave is lined with giant marble apostles and the cloister is mysterious and medieval.

 

I definitely hope someday to pass on your regards to Father Paulo, although I feel like I already know him and his environs through your vivid descriptions.  J  So, what’s the next treat from the pen of Christine Sunderland?  Is there more of Kelly and Daniel in the future, or will you take a different direction with your next novel?

 

A different direction, at least at this point. My novel-in-progress is revealing itself as a suspense/love story set in the Bay Area. There is a deserted chapel in an abandoned park, a museum-mansion and a piano tuner, an English professor-poet in love with a History grad student.

 

Now that sounds cool.  I look forward to reading it. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to these questions, Christine.  Are there any other thoughts you’d like to close with, tidbits of wit or wisdom—or both?

 

Thanks so much, Bruce. It's been a real pleasure to talk about The Magdalene Mystery. The novel was a great joy to write. It was also a magnificent adventure to research and create. Since it was about truth, and how we know truth, I tried to be as truthful as possible as the mysteries within its pages led to more mysteries which led to more… much like life and love and faith… much like talking with God.

Okay, Christine, tell us a little about yourself; for example, when did you begin writing?  What inspired you to start?

 

I discovered writing late in life. I never intended to write novels (just read them), but my travels to Europe led to meditative journals, and these led to stories. I loved reading from an early age, and my English Lit degree encouraged me to create plotlines and characters from my voluminous notes. I was fascinated by the historical sites my husband and I visited in Western Europe, so that when I was home I audited classes in Western Civilization. We often traveled with our bishop, a formidable inspiration and fount of wisdom. The history of the West took shape in my mind, and I was struck by how it reflected the history of Christianity, the history of belief.  I read historians Barbara Tuchman, Paul Johnson, Peter Brown, Thomas Cahill,  Gertrude Himmelfarb, and Eamon Duffy. Theologians, mystics, and other writers inspired me as well: Raymond Raynes, Dom Gregory Dix, Alexander Schmemann, Russell Kirk, Evelyn Underhill, Luke Timothy Johnson, and, of course, C. S. Lewis, among many.

 

A heady listed of literary heroes indeed.  What motivated, or still motivates, you to select the genre and themes you write about?

 

God's active presence in our world, in history and in the present, inspires me to write of goodness, truth, and beauty—T.S. Eliot's "permanent things." I write from a Christian worldview, a world with characters who love and suffer and sacrifice, who desire to be good and true, or search for goodness and truth, and who wonder at the beauty around them, who are wonderful.

 

I am also motivated by today's cultural crises – abortion, euthanasia, the role of sexuality and the body, the nature and challenges of marriage, the demands of love. I try to explore the Christian answer to why we suffer (C. S. Lewis's “problem of pain”), the Christian view of life and death, and the role of the Church in all of this. I am fascinated by belief itself, by apologetics (I was converted by Lewis's Mere Christianity), by Christianity's historical foundations and its present challenges. It has been said that "all doubt is moral." There are, in other words, lifestyle implications to belief.

 

That comes out very clearly in The Magdalene Mystery. The reader can’t help but notice that the hits Kelly has taken in life that have greatly affected her faith.  It seems difficult for her to shake them off for much of her journey.  Is it fair to ask if she is modeled after someone you personally know (no names expected, of course), or does she represent  a more generic character figure?

 

Kelly is, like each of my characters, a composite of people I have known. Kelly represents generations of young people threatened by our highly sexualized and starkly agnostic culture, a "post-Christian" culture.  And Kelly reflects some of my own history too. Like Kelly, I was a single parent raising a young son in an apartment in Walnut Creek. My apartment was robbed and ransacked;  I also longed for a life of safety, especially as a mother.  We live in a culture of escalating crime. The marginalization of church and temple has allowed the collapse of moral authority in the public square; the breakup of the family has contributed as well, for it is the family that passes moral values to the next generation.  And like Kelly, my parish church was like a family. The description of Kelly's church, St. Mary's, is based on my own church, St. Peter's in Oakland.

 

So there is some of Christine in Kelly.  I think that makes her more real, more personable. In what ways do you think, or hope, her story might benefit readers?

 

Hopefully, Kelly's story will create a firmer foundation for belief in Christianity.  From belief, that first step of faith, all else follows; i.e., a life of meaning and joy.  Kelly is a thinking young adult, but she hasn't thought through her belief system, and now she is forced to examine it, to face and define it, rather than slide along, buffeted by cultural trends.  I want to give young adults a way forward through the jungle of our world, to show them that Christian belief is rational and reasonable and can, to a satisfying degree, be supported with historical evidence.  

 

The reader also can’t help but see a depth of struggle in Daniel too.  He seems to wrestle with aspects of his faith and where they might be leading him.  Is there a message for the reader in his story too?

 

Daniel has experienced the power of lies, the tragic consequences of slander and distrust. In this, he has faced evil. He is a knight on a mission to clean up his world, to protect the innocent from the not-so-innocent Internet. He grapples with God's demands upon him; he searches for God's will. These are struggles believers face daily.  We journey with him as he searches, realizing these conversations with God are pleasing to God, just like Jacob's wrestling with God at Bethel.

 

The historical perspective delivered in The Magdalene Mystery—particularly what Daniel and the enigmatic Teresa recite so fondly to Kelly as she learns of her spiritual heritage—is phenomenal.  How did you research your material?

 

I was led to excellent and generous sources, and in the process created a team that supported my writing. The Rev. Dr. Paul Russell, the Dean of St. Joseph of Arimathea Theological College in Berkeley, a New Testament scholar, provided me with a hefty reading list to bring me up to speed on how we "do history," the Jesus Seminar and the historical Jesus movements of the last century. Father Russell also read the manuscript in its early and late stages. Then I located Dr. Michael Donley, a British scholar and French translator, author of St. Mary Magdalen in Provence. He graciously read early and late drafts, and provided copious notes, even assisted with the French. Finally, a sweet and lively British nun at St. John Lateran in Rome read the material and helped me with the Corpus Christi procession and other scenes in Rome, as well as the Lateran's history regarding Mary Magdalene, a mystery I found fascinating.  Lastly, the work of Carl E. Olson and Amy Welborn were most useful and inspiring in terms of understanding what we know about Mary Magdalene and the world in which she lived.

 

Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code made claims that were clearly untrue about Mary Magdalene, yet so many readers believed these lies. I wanted to set the record straight in a format not unlike his own. So the story of Mary Magdalene, in the Gospels and in histories copied on codices through the centuries, opened a door to examining what we know and what we don't know about those first years of Christianity. Just as Mary Magdalene was the first to touch the risen Christ and the first to witness to the Resurrection, I wanted to build a trustworthy foundation for my readers so that they could reach and touch him too.

 

And you succeeded beautifully in doing just that. You mentioned you and your husband visited many of the settings in which the story takes place. Do you have any favorites?

 

The churches described in The Magdalene Mystery are all glorious. I love the American church Santa Susanna for its ethereal frescoes (my books are in their parish library); La Maddalena is a jewel box and home of the Camillians, the Order of the Ministers of the Sick (say hello to Father Paulo if you visit); the Basilica of Maria Maggiore is stunning with its crèche under the high altar and the St. Luke Madonna; Santa Croce's blue apse and the ancient side chapel of St. Helena, Constantine's mother, are unforgettable; San Giovanni Laterano's nave is lined with giant marble apostles and the cloister is mysterious and medieval.

 

I definitely hope someday to pass on your regards to Father Paulo, although I feel like I already know him and his environs through your vivid descriptions.  J  So, what’s the next treat from the pen of Christine Sunderland?  Is there more of Kelly and Daniel in the future, or will you take a different direction with your next novel?

 

A different direction, at least at this point. My novel-in-progress is revealing itself as a suspense/love story set in the Bay Area. There is a deserted chapel in an abandoned park, a museum-mansion and a piano tuner, an English professor-poet in love with a History grad student.

 

Now that sounds cool.  I look forward to reading it. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to these questions, Christine.  Are there any other thoughts you’d like to close with, tidbits of wit or wisdom—or both?

 

Thanks so much, Bruce. It's been a real pleasure to talk about The Magdalene Mystery. The novel was a great joy to write. It was also a magnificent adventure to research and create. Since it was about truth, and how we know truth, I tried to be as truthful as possible as the mysteries within its pages led to more mysteries which led to more… much like life and love and faith… much like talking with God.

 

 

You can see a reviews of one of Christine's other works on this blog at Pilgrimage  read more about her and her writing at http://christinesunderland.com/.