Chris Heimerdinger

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Chris Heimerdinger (born August 26, 1963) is an author and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who has written sixteen adult and young adult novels, most of which center on religious themes familiar to Latter-day Saints.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Heimerdinger was born in Bloomington, Indiana. His father, Charles Case Heimerdinger, was a professor in theatre at Indiana State University at the time. Heimerdinger's parents divorced when he was four years old and his mother remarried Bob Hollowell, who acted as Chris's stepfather. He passed away in 1991. Heimerdinger is the second-born in his immediate family and has one older brother, Charles (Charley) and two younger sisters, Carlyn and Julie.

Heimerdinger was active in high school theatre and drama and very active with competitve speech and oratory, where he dominated Wyoming High School competitions for three years in the categories of Humor, Oratory, and Drama. He began to write books at the age of 7, and continued through high school. He also began making super-8 films beginning in junior high, and showed these films to the scholarship committee of Brigham Young University in 1981, earning a full-ride scholarship in the department of Theatre and Cinmatic Arts.

Heimerdinger read the Book of Mormon at age 18, during his first semster at college, and was converted to the LDS Church.

[edit] Works

[edit] Tennis Shoe Adventure Series

Main article: Tennis Shoes Adventure Series

Heimerdinger first started publishing books in 1989 with Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites, based on events in the Book of Mormon. Heimerdinger states, “I wanted to present a fictional story account of the Book of Mormon from both a spiritual and a scholarly standpoint and tie it all together in a wonderful adventure.”[1] This and the nine books which followed in the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series are among Heimerdinger's most popular books. Heimerdinger has stated that the first book in this series, Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites, was based on a dream that he had in Gainsville, Florida, while serving a proselytizing mission in the Florida Tallahassee Mission of the LDS Church.

The series begins with three children exploring Crystal Caverns, or Frost Cave, near Cody, Wyoming, and discovering a secret room (the Rainbow Room) capable of transporting its visitors to different eras, such as those of the Nephites and Lamanites. In the nine books that followed, the phenomenon in Frost Cave was also able to transport the characters to other eras of history, including Ancient Rome, Israel during the Roman destruction in A.D. 73, and even the time period of the Tower of Babel. In several of the books, additional information clarifying book content is explained and referenced in notes at the end of each chapter.

[edit] Other books

Heimerdinger also wrote several books which are not part of the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series. These include Eddie Fantastic, a science fiction tale set in modern Salt Lake City; Daniel and Nephi, an adventure novel set in 600 B.C. Israel that speculates that the prophets Daniel and Nephi may have known one another as children; Ben Franklin and the Chamber of Time, a time-travel adventure; A Return to Christmas, a story about the reunion of twins separated as young boys; and A Light in the Storm, about a man stranded in a blizzard in the mountains of Montana.

Most of Heimerdinger's books are published with Covenant Communications in American Fork, Utah. One title, A Return to Christmas was also picked up by Random House/Ballantine in 1995. When the title was released by Ballantine in 2004, it was republished by Covenant Communications.

[edit] Films and music

In 2005, Heimerdinger also embarked upon his lifelong dream of directing movies and began production of Passage to Zarahemla. The project was born of an original screenplay written in 1999 called "Summer of the Nephite" and was published as a novel, Passage to Zarahemla in 2003. The film was completed and released in theatres on October 12, 2007. This movie, with 185 special effects shots, "features the most special effects of any LDS-themed film to date".[2] It will be released on DVD in June 2008.

Heimerdinger also composed nine songs for his motion picture, and released the album, Whispered Visions: Songs from the Motion Picture Passage to Zarahemla in 2008. On this album, Heimerdinger sings most of the songs. His back-up vocalists include renowned talents such as Jessie Clark Funk and Katherine Nelson. Other back-up vocalists include Kenneth Cope, Alex Boye, Barry Givens, Jim Funk, Felicia Wolfe, Tanya Barkdall, Jarrod Haddock, and Daniel Beck. The first three cuts on the album were co-produced with Tommy Hopkins, while the remainder were co-produced with Jim Funk.

[edit] Future plans

In the future, Heimerdinger plans on writing more books, as well as making additional movies, and writing more music. He has often expressed that the object of his art is always to celebrate his religious and spiritual convictions as taught by the LDS Church.

[edit] Family

Heimerdinger presently lives in Draper, Utah. In 1988, he married; he has five children, ranging oldest to youngest: Steven Teancum, Christopher Ammon, Alyssa Sariah, Elizabeth Liahona Cecelia and Angelina Cumorah. Steven Teancum was born in 1989 and Angelina Cumorah in 2005. Though divorced in 2006, he retains primary custody of his four children who are under 18. Heimerdinger's mother, Anna Cecelia, was baptized by Heimerdinger into the LDS Church in May 2005. He also accompanied her in her first attendance to an LDS Church temple in December 2007. She also has a bit part in Heimerdinger's movie, Passage to Zarahemla, as a "laughing old lady."

[edit] List of works

[edit] Books

Tennis Shoes Adventure Series

  • Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites
  • Gadiantons and the Silver Sword
  • Tennis Shoes and the Feathered Serpent
  • Tennis Shoes and the Feathered Serpent, part two
  • The Sacred Quest (formerly Tennis Shoes and the Seven Churches)
  • The Lost Scrolls
  • The Golden Crown
  • Warriors of Cumorah
  • Tower of Thunder
  • Kingdoms and Conquerors
  • Volume 11 (in process of being written, release date late 2008, tentatively entitled "Thorns of Glory")

Other books

  • Eddie Fantastic (revised edition coming soon)
  • Daniel and Nephi
  • Ben Franklin and the Chamber of Time
  • A Light in the Storm
  • Passage to Zarahemla
  • A Return to Christmas
  • The Absurd Adventures of Elders Kurds and Way

[edit] Music CDs

Featuring nine songs with music and lyrics by Chris Heimerdinger:

Track 1. "Fly Free" (Duet featuring Chris Heimerdinger and Katherine Nelson Thompson)
2. "Whispered Visions" (Sung by Katherine Nelson Thompson)
3. "Simple Fellow" (Sung by Chris Heimerdinger with back-up vocals by Donre Sampson)
4. "Sons of Fire" (Sung by Chris Heimerdinger with back-up vocals by Alex Boye, Michael Givens, and Jarrod Haddock)
5. "Way I Feel Inside" (Sung by Chris Heimerdinger with all-star chorus of LDS vocalists, including Kenneth Cope, Jessie Clark Funk, Felicia Sorenson Wolfe, Katherine Nelson Thompson, Daniel Beck, and others)
6. "Good Vs. Evil" (Sung by Chris Heimerdinger)
7. "BYU Security Police" (Sung by Chris Heimerdinger with back-up vocalists Jessie Clark Funk and Tanya Barkdull)
8. "Finally" (Duet featuring Chris Heimerdinger and Jessie Clark Funk)
9. "Savior, Redeemer" (Sung by Chris Heimerdinger)

[edit] Films

  • The Wolves (1987): Drama about a grade-school boy's club. Produced, written, and directed by Chris while a student at Brigham Young University. Distributed by Phoneix Films, BFA.
  • Lehi's Land of First Inheritance (2003): Documentary on Book of Mormon geography produced by Newlight Productions, Written by Chris Heimerdinger and Joseph Allen. Directed by Chris Heimerdinger (Dist. by Newlight Prod. and Sounds of Zion, Inc.)
  • Passage to Zarahemla (2007), a feature-length action/adventure/fantasy movie that he directed, based on a novel he wrote. Released to theaters October 15, 2007. The DVD release is June 3, 2008.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "About the Author" Page, Warriors of Cumorah, 2001
  2. ^ Tyler Hinton, "LDS Author Writes, Directs Sci-Fi Film", BYU NewsNet, 2007-03-30, accessed 2008-05-12.

[edit] External links