Category Archives: Historical Fiction

The Point Man and the Peacenik: America in 1968

In the winter of 1971, I was back at Dartmouth after discharge from the Army the prior Christmas Eve. Contrary to the experience of many Vietnam vets, I was received well–not as a hero but simply as someone who had experienced the most significant event of our generation. As I shared stories with the curious, and especially the movies I shot with a Super 8 camera purchased at an army PX, someone said, “You should write a book.” Well, I finally did.

The Point Man and the Peacenik: America in 1968 will be released on October 15.

The United States nearly ripped apart at the seams in 1968, the most tumultuous year of Twentieth Century America. History herself seemed confused as she zigged and zagged and changed course several times.

Choices. It’s all about choices. The Vietnam War, and one’s reaction to it, defined the generation that came of age in the turbulent ‘60s. From the novel’s opening paragraph, the moral ambiguity of this war confronts a “fucking new guy” in the mountainous jungles of central Vietnam. Does he shoot and ask questions later? Meanwhile, his high school buddy is bloodied by a policeman’s baton as he protests the war.

The novel will transport the reader to the tempestuous year of 1968. By depicting actual events in an artful manner, the novel shares aspects of narrative nonfiction. Creative and entertaining re-creation of historical events serves as an entryway into racial, class, cultural, political, and military history. The novel re-creates historical persons and events from an eyewitness perspective with the hope that the reader feels the moment as a lived experience. The events of 1968 are revisited, not as stale historical remnants, but as presaging the issues of today.

The novel features a pair of protagonists, high school classmates from a small midwestern town, who follow different paths. One is off to Vietnam as a combat infantryman, and the other joins the anti-war movement. To add spice to the stew, they are in love with the same woman. Each faces hard choices as they come of age: sex and relationships, drugs, hopes and disillusionment, and the dilemma of compulsory military service in a war of dubious purpose and questionable strategy and tactics. Race and bigotry challenge them, as do class and privilege.

From New Year’s Eve 1967 to the conclusion on New Year’s Eve 1968, the novel follows a chronological pattern of alternating chapters between the two main characters. Along the way, the characters weave in and out of the major events of the year and interact with actual, historical figures: the Tet Offensive, Eugene McCarthy’s shock-the-world candidacy in New Hampshire, the siege of Khe Sanh, young John Lewis recounting the early civil rights movement, urban riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination in Los Angeles just as it appeared he might be the next president, the rise of hippie counter-culture, the riotous Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and segregationist George Wallace spouting grievances and mesmerizing a raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden.

You may pre-order with books to be distributed after October 15.

$19.95

Buy now

Wormwood and Gall a Midwest Book Award Finalist

The Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA) recently named Wormwood and Gall as one of three finalists for a Midwest Book Award in the Religion/Philosophy category. The awards program, which is organized by MIPA, recognizes quality in independent publishing in the Midwest.

The 30th annual Midwest Book Awards was open to books published and copyrighted in 2019 in MiPA’s 12-state Midwestern region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.This year’s competition garnered 221 entries in 31 categories, which were judged by a panel of 99 librarians and booksellers from every state in MiPA’s 12-state Midwestern region.

Typically an awards gala is held every year in Minneapolis to announce the winners, but this year, due to travel and shelter-in-place restrictions from Covid-19, winners will be announced during a free, online watch party on Facebook set for June 27 at 7pm CDT, with book prizes for attendees and a special segment by independent booksellers throughout the Midwest on how to support them at this time.

“Although we were disappointed to cancel our gala this year, we are excited for the potential to attract a larger audience who can help make this a truly regional event that celebrates Midwestern publishing,” said Jennifer Baum, chair of the Midwest Book Awards.

The Midwest Book Awards, which began in 1989, is organized by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MiPA). Founded in 1984, MiPA exists today as a vibrant professional nonprofit association that serves the Midwest independent publishing community through education, networking, and peer recognition.

Holmen’s earlier work, Queer Clergy; A History of Gay and Lesbian Ministry in American Protestantism was previously a finalist for a Minnesota Book Award in the non-fiction category.

Where were you when …

Most of us remember where we were when the Twin Towers were attacked on 9-11. For folks my age or older, we remember the Kennedy assassination.

Fifty years ago, Apollo 11 roared into history as I arrived in Vietnam. I wrote about those days in my embellished autobiographical novella entitled “Gonna Stick My Sword in the Golden Sand.” Here’s a snippet. Pardon the vulgarity and self pity.

There were no Charlies [enemy soldiers] in Cam Ranh Bay after all, but plenty of sorry asses like me, spending the first day of three hundred sixty five: July 17, 1969. Mounds of white sand dunes surrounded low-lying gray buildings with tin roofs held down with sand bags. And potable water and non-potable water, but I could never remember which one was for drinking. Back in Fort Lewis near Seattle, the army spent a couple of days processing me into Vietnam, and now that I was here, the army spent a few more days of processing, but that was fine with me. Standing in line was better than getting shot at.

A new patch on my fatigues said I was a PFC, private first class, just like all who had completed the Eleven Bravo infantry training at Fort Polk, but then I got promoted for a few hours by somebody who needed a drinking buddy. We had been standing in a line together. The silver bar on his collar said he was a first lieutenant, and he invited me to have a drink with him at the officer’s club; when he offered me his jacket with silver bars to cover up my PFC patch, I thought … what the hell? Turns out the officer’s club was air conditioned, and we spent the afternoon drinking scotch whiskey while a Filipino woman belted out sultry jazz. I drank mine straight because I was worried about potable or non-potable water.

After Cam Ranh Bay finished its processing, they decided to send me to the 4th Infantry Division up in the central highlands. Next stop, Camp Enari outside Pleiku. More processing. And rain. And mud. It was the midsummer monsoon of July 1969. In many places, plank boardwalks kept you out of the slimy red clay that caked your combat boots. When it stopped raining for a while, they loaded us into trucks called deuce-and-a-halfs and took us outside the perimeter for M-16 rifle training, part of the in-country welcoming festivities. There was a gully there, a drainage ditch or something, and I pictured a horde of Charlies lurking in the tall grass. I was an Eleven Bravo, and I already knew how to use an M-16, but the clerk-typists–Remington Raiders who were sent to shoot for the one and only time in their whole damned tour of duty–needed protection, I figured, so I kept a close eye out for Charlie, but the only real danger was if one of the desk jockeys shot himself in the foot, or worse.

More processing. My new buddies drank beer, we spent one day at the steam bath, and, of course, there was the PX with a TV and an ice milk dispenser, except it was never cold enough to cool the mixture beyond a runny, slurpy mess that spilled over the top of the soggy cones. There were great bargains on electronics, but what would I do with a goddamned reel-to-reel tape deck out in the boonies? We started planning for when we’d get our first combat pay, military payment script they called it. My buddies went to look some more at the stereos, and I went to get some soft, real soft, ice cream.

I thought of the sky-blue waters of the ten thousand lakes of Minnesota, I wondered if Twins ballplayer Rod Carew swiped home that day, and I worried that my girl would have second thoughts if Jody was to come around (it was always Jody they warned you about—“Jody’s gonna get your girl,” the drill sergeants teased). A small crowd gathered around the TV that hung high on a wall, and I stood at the back and watched and listened while ice milk dribbled down my wrist.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

What the fuck? The TV announcer said some swinging dick was walking on the moon, and the whole world was watching. Did I give a rat’s ass? What about me? Did anyone care what I was doing? Where I was? Somehow, I felt abandoned and much farther away than the man on the moon.

Ten Questions for Trump Supporters

If you’re a Trump supporter, here’s a quiz for you in the quiet of your own thoughts. Don’t be defensive; dare to think long and hard and ponder the questions seriously.

1)  Why did Russia want Trump to win?

2)  Why do black voters overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump? Hispanics? LGBTQ? Women?

3)  Why does Trump receive his highest approval ratings from less-educated voters and his lowest approval from highly-educated voters?

4)  Despite radically increasing the national debt and postponing the payment due to future generations, did Trump’s tax legislation help you?

5)  Why has international confidence in the US plummeted under Trump?

6)  Does it matter that Trump lies repeatedly?

7)  Why does Trump resist disclosure of his finances?

8)  Why do white nationalists support Trump?

9)  Does moral character in our leaders matter?

10) If you honestly wrestled with 1-9, why do you still support Trump?

Ancient History Made Contemporary and Compelling

Colleen Kwong is a pastor and an artist (potter). We began bumping into each other and exchanging our work a few years ago at church conventions. My fingers trace her clay labyrinth that sits on my desk. I sent her a proof copy of Wormwood and Gall, and she soon replied that she “devoured” it and sent the following review.

Who would think that a book that begins with “On a late summer’s day in the reign of Emperor Vespasian…” would be a page-turner?! And yet, RW Holmen has taken a page from ancient history and made it feel utterly contemporary and compelling.

He describes the sensory atmosphere of first century Jerusalem and environs with such ferocity that one feels, smells, sees, hears, and tastes the desperation and the occasional delight of those present in that place.

As with other writings that engage historical settings, we know the ending before we begin, but Holmen is able to take us on the journey with the protagonist Markos (the reconstructed imagined writer of the gospel of Mark) with such clarity that we feel the urgency of the time.

For the knowledgeable historian, this book offers insights into the very human aspects and possible scenario for the writing of Mark’s gospel. For those with less historical knowledge, it provides enough factual information to make the story understandable in its historical context.

Holmen hints at the power of the person Jesus through his contacts with Jesus’ relatives and friends, but does not overpower us with the usual saccharine media portrayal of “knowing Jesus as Christ.” He manages to give glimpses into the hope and possibilities of following the Christ as shown in those who knew Jesus and attempt to follow the teachings and example of Godly living. All this in a time that was brutal, where loss is great, and hope is almost unimaginable. Personal decision making and community responsibility is lived out by the book’s characters in varying ways, each having to live with their decisions, and some questioning the meaning of it all.

It is in this world of destruction, tragedy, chaos and confusion that Markos and his circle struggle for a sense of humanity and meaning. And, lucky for us, Markos is able to record it for us, as he is a scribe.

Thanks to RW Holmen for also being a scribe, doing the hard work of researching, recording, imagining, and reconstructing a possible scenario of the writing of the Gospel of Mark. This book would be a wonderful addition to a Bible study, to give life to the characters that often seem distant, and to invite us into a world that, though distant in time and place, feels contemporary through Holmen’s writing.

More Reviews: Wormwood and Gall

A pair of new reviews have been posted on Amazon. I asked Pastor Phil Eaves and Susan Troselius to review advanced reader copies of Wormwood and Gall, knowing that they had earlier expressed appreciation for A Wretched Man. On one hand, it is fair to say that these are cherry-picked reviewers for that reason, but there was also a level of dread on my part that the latest novel might disappoint and fail to live up to the expectations raised by my first novel.

Phil Eaves is a retired pastor and former St. Olaf College trustee living in Northfield, and he arranged several appearances/book readings on my behalf in that college community when A Wretched Man was first released. His review of Wormwood and Gall “came pouring out after an engaging and delightful adventure in reading your remarkable new book.  I have not written many reviews and it is not exactly my forte so I penned these comments as more of a personal response.” It’s pitch perfect.

The wonder of the Bible is just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, just when you are ready to write a rule or proclaim a doctrine, someone like R. W. Holmen comes along with a refreshingly unique perspective. Using his gifted imagination, astute scholarship and variety of real-life vocational adventures Holmen shows us something new while challenging us to grow from the experience. Don’t get bogged down in whether “Wormwood and Gall” could have actually happened … enter into it! Live the story first, study it later and enjoy the fullness of the journey.

Susan is a colleague at Central Lutheran in Minneapolis. When she heard of the pending publication of the novel, she asked, “Where can  I get a copy?” My response was to offer a “proof copy” in exchange for her feedback. Her review follows under the Amazon heading, “A must-read…historical fiction at its finest”:

After many conversations with R.W. Holmen regarding my anticipation of his next novel, I was delighted to receive the advance reader copy of “Wormwood and Gall.” In this account of Mark, believed to be the author of the first of the four Gospels in the New Testament and, as with “A Wretched Man”, I needed to read slowly and thoughtfully, to savor Holmen’s rich character development and the historical, cultural and societal intricacies he brings to the telling. The gift that Holmen gave me in this book was painting a picture for me of what might have been and how it may, or may not, mesh with my own interpretation of history in this, or any other gospel account. As usual, I have more questions than answers; for now, I will relish the experience of Holmen’s rich and unique perspective of Mark’s journey and those with whom he journeyed.

I am flattered and immensely thankful for the kind words.

Early Amazon reviews for Wormwood and Gall

Folks who received advance reader copies of Wormwood and Gall have posted five-star reviews on Amazon.

Pastor Wesley White has penned his own book centered in Mark’s gospel, entitled, Slow Reading the Gospel of Mark, a reflective, meditative, and introspective invitation into the gospel narrative.  Pastor White’s review of Wormwood and Gall lauds the historical integrity, the weaving of scriptural themes, and the theological consistency of the novel with the gospel:

Historical and archeological details scattered throughout the novel give a richness and grounding to the reading … Holmen knows his history and scripture and weaves them together in a way that surprises and delights … The question of, ‘Who am I’ (from the perspective of both Jesus and the reader), lies at the heart of Mark’s gospel and is raised in a variety of ways throughout this novel … an organizing principle.

Phil Soucy also commends the historical underpinnings of the novel:

Brilliance in historical fiction lies in stitching together the tumult of large events through the lives of fictional characters, their veracity resulting from meticulous and encyclopedic research into the events themselves, the cultures of the time, the societies that existed within those cultures, and an understanding of the impact on the future flowing out from this time.

Soucy adds that the novel speaks to the human condition through the experiences of the principal character:

Markos … seeking to extract meaning from the events of his life as they happen, is drawn along a path towards authenticity about who he is. We, you, will be pulled along with him.

My thanks to Wesley and Phil as they help to bring Wormwood and Gall to the attention of readers interested in Biblical history and the big questions in life.

Wormwood and Gall–first review

A few years ago, I participated in a Saturday morning men’s group over coffee and Panera pastries. Mike Allen was another participant. Recently, he responded to my request for an early review and quickly downloaded a digital copy, and he has now sent me his review.

First, he contrasts light Christian fiction with heavy theological books, and he says,

The first is hardly worth reading.  The second can be difficult, filled with arcane vocabulary and requiring mastery of languages not used for over 1,500 years. Obie Holmen’s book is neither of those two types, thankfully.  Wormwood and Gall: the Destruction of Jerusalem and the First Gospel, focuses on the search for meaning in a time of destruction. Although the history, clothing, food, economy and the politics are accurately captured by Holmen, his focus is on existential meaning, the question whether creation is good or evil, the meaning of one’s death, and overarching all questions, does my existence simply end with my life?

What carries Holmen’s book is the power of his character development along with his sure grasp of history. Holmen has written a novel based on very real events at a critical point in human history, incorporating human questions.  Its Christian context is clear but Holmen skillfully avoids overwhelming the reader with false religiosity.  He places us in the midst of theology’s core: all theology starts from human experience, each individual must start with his or her own story.  Holmen’s Wormwood and Gall manages to suggest answers in a subtle ways.  This is a book that is both readable as well as worth the reading.

In Mike’s cover emails to me, he adds,

Your novel deserves a review of depth and consideration.  The poetry of your text demands a solid review. It’s obvious I liked the book.  I liked it for its character development and plot.

Once I moved into your book I had no doubts about it.  Initially I wondered if this was going to be another of those “religious books” plaguing all of us. But it turned out to be nothing of the kind and that was the reason for my pleasure in reading it.  It asks questions that I ask myself.  It incorporates some of my experiences, and it captures some of my questions and answers. 

Thank you for the honor of writing a review.  Your book is just simply that good.

Thank you, Mike. You honor me with your kind and generous comments.

Wormwood and Gall: an odd book title

The Hollywood screenwriter who hopes to bring A Wretched Man to a movie screen near you, once complimented me on my imaginative, and sometimes provocative, book titles: A Wretched Man, Gonna Stick my Sword in the Golden Sand, Queer Clergy. I could add my current work in progress, Lady Liberty is a Bitch. So, where does Wormwood and Gall come from? For starters, Wormwood is a medicinal herb, and gall is bitter bile.WormwoodandGall.FRONT

Of course, Paul’s own self-designation provides the title for A Wretched Man. “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Romans 7:24. Similarly, Wormwood and Gall derives from a Biblical reference: in this case, a lament for Jerusalem:

How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal.

The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, and his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 1:1 & 3:19-22

This lament aptly suggests the novel’s theme. In the midst of despair as Roman legions besiege Jerusalem, and all seems lost, a narrator scribes ink strokes on a papyrus scroll to bolster courage and inspire hope in the beleaguered remnant of Jesus followers, four decades after his crucifixion. The novel characterizes Markos (Greek for “Mark”) as someone who wrestles with existential questions as to the meaning, or meaninglessness, of life.

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Is literary fiction a dinosaur?

First, a working definition of “literary fiction” from Wikipedia:

A concern with social commentary, political criticism, or reflection on the human condition.

A focus on “introspective, in-depth character studies” of “interesting, complex and developed” characters, whose “inner stories” drive the plot, with detailed motivations to elicit “emotional involvement” in the reader.

A slower pace than popular fiction, “literary fiction, by its nature, allows itself to dawdle, to linger on stray beauties even at the risk of losing its way”.

A concern with the style and complexity of the writing: “elegantly written, lyrical, and … layered”.

Unlike genre fiction, plot is not the central concern. The tone of literary fiction can be darker than genre fiction.

Literary fiction is often contrasted with genre fiction, commercial fiction, popular fiction, etc. Among other trends in the publishing industry, literary fiction is increasingly becoming a lost art, driven by cultural changes and market influences. Sadly, good books don’t sell. An overstatement, of course, and there are exceptions. Here in Minnesota, we have authors Louise Erdrich and Marlon James, winners of prestigious writing awards who also manage to sell a good number of books.

Publishing industry veteran Brooke Warner sums up the dilemma this way:

This week I had lunch with an agent friend who expressed her frustration that the best manuscripts she’s representing simply aren’t selling to traditional publishers …   It used to be that traditional publishers were curators of what we read, and therefore, in a trickle-down way, of our cultural values. Literary books—which usually refers to books of substance, that are more intellectual, typically better written, and stylistically more sophisticated—were valued by mainstream culture. People actually strove to be well-read. There’s no question that our cultural values have shifted in the wake of twenty-four-hour news cycles, digital content, and the constancy of social media … While literary works win awards, and are the books that transcend time, they’re also becoming the least desirable projects for agents and editors. 

Wormwood and Gall imagines the person, the community, and the circumstances behind “the Gospel according to Mark.” Although there are battle scenes, escapes, desert storms, love lost and regained, Wormwood aspires to be literary fiction. Whether it qualifies remains to be seen, but I hope it wrestles with big questions in a meaningful way.

I penned Wormwood a couple of years ago, and then I brought it to a Christian writer’s conference in Nashville where I met other writers who were churning out three and four Christian romance novels a year, and the publishers were lapping them up, so long as they followed a pat formula: a chaste woman meets a fallen man; she brings him to Christ; and they live happily ever after. But, I found no takers for Wormwood.

Now, I’m going to take Warner’s concluding advice, “Set measures of success that include but are not limited to sales, and seize your own publishing future by the reins.” Wormwood will soon be self-published as an eBook through Amazon and a paperback through Amazon’s Createspace, “print on demand” platform.

Support is appreciated. Buy it. Tell your friends about it and encourage them to buy their own copy. I always smile but wince inwardly when I hear, “I love your book. We’re passing it around at church.”