Christmas 2003

Dear Friends, Family, and Fellow LOTR-junkies,

Merry Christmas! So have you seen "The Return of the King" yet? I’m still recovering after watching the midnight premiere in the early hours of December 17. Then Tom and I went again last night. As I mention in my ►online review, the movie continues to grow on me, though I wasn’t as awed by the whole thing as I would have liked. But it’s still one of the most spectacular movies I’ve ever seen. Pippin was the surprise star, in my mind, and I will never, ever forget those oliphaunts!

Your thoughts, questions, comments on ROTK? I’d love to hear ►them.

Meanwhile my book Walking with Frodo: A Devotional Journey through The Lord of the Rings continues to climb the bestsellers list in Christian publishing. It was the #1 bestselling Young Adult book and the #20 bestselling book overall for November, according to the ►Christian Booksellers Association.  Tyndale has scrambled to send it to a fourth printing, while many stores have sold out of their copies and have many on back-order.  This is both good and bad, but altogether fun!  We still have copies in stock and can be ordered through my website ►www.saraharthur.com.

I’ve spent much of the past two weeks doing radio interviews with stations around the country (by phone), most of which have been live, including some with call-in questions from listeners. It’s been great fun, though a bit nerve-racking at times. My final interview will be with ABC radio in Detroit on Monday, December 22 at 3:00 p.m. EST.

To read the FAQs section of my website, giving quick answers to some of the questions I’ve been asked in interviews, click ►here.

My latest article, entitled "The Tale We’ve Fallen Into: Some Thoughts on Why We Never Outgrow The Lord of the Rings" is posted on ►MethodX.org.

As we draw ever closer to Christmas day and the celebration of Emmanuel, "God with us," here’s a quote from The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien:

"Halflings!" laughed the rider that stood beside Éomer. "Halflings! But they are only a little people in old songs and children’s tales out of the North. Do we walk in legends or on the green earth in the daylight?"

"A man may do both," said Aragorn. "For not we but those who come after will make the legends of our time."