"THE CHRISTMAS STONE," by Liz Carlston, Cedar Fort Inc., $8.99, 90 pages
SALT LAKE CITY — Liz Carlston feels a lot of gratitude.
She survived the Columbine High School shooting with no physical wounds, but some deep emotional wounds left by losing her basketball coach David Sanders and high school acquaintances. Fifteen people died in the April 20, 1999, mayhem. Twenty-four were injured.
"I was in my math class on the other side of the building when it all happened. I remember being escorted out and waiting. We didn't know what was going on at first. "The day after, we all went to the stake center. The church had sent counselors to talk to us and while we were there, the stake president announced that President Hinckley had called to say he was praying for us. At that moment, I knew we would be OK," Carlston said.
She has since met and talked with Val Schnurr, one of the students shot in the spree after she refused to deny her belief in God.
"(Meeting her) was awesome. There is this connection when you survive something like that. I tried to put that in the book."
Carlston's first book, "Surviving Columbine: How Faith Helps Us When Tragedy Strikes," went into three printings and sold more than 10,000 copies.
And she's in a place financially that she can afford to donate her book sales profits to charities.
The first book's profits went to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Perpetual Education Fund. The profits from "Christmas Stone" will go directly to the Primary Children's Medical Center.
"I couldn't think of a better place. Primary Children's seemed like the best candidate," she said.
"The Christmas Stone" is a story of hope and loss and forgiveness, a story based on living the basic principles taught by the Mormon church, Carlston said.
As the young woman in the book wends her way toward an ailing father, she boards a plane and meets a man trying to resolve past issues.
As the story moves forward, she and he are forced to confront some of their pain.
It's a short book, one that could be longer and delve deeper, which Carlston acknowledges.
On the other hand, it makes for a quick read and would make a nice Christmas gift for neighbors and friends.
"It's not aimed at the Mormon audience but it's definitely safe for Mormons," Carlston said. "The core messages are about letting go and forgiveness."
The book is already into a second printing and doing well.
Carlston has a number of book signings lined up in the local area as well as in various spots across the nation.
She's a single woman who lives in the University 5th Ward in the 48th University Stake where she serves as a visiting teacher co-ordinator. She's 28 and works in sales and marketing.
"Writing is more of a hobby for me, which is nice, because I'm in a position to do good with it. You want to share your gifts," she said.
e-mail: haddoc@desnews.com
If you go...
What: Book signings
When: Nov. 18, Costco, 11100 S. Auto Mall Drive, Sandy, Ut. from 3-6 p.m.
Nov. 20, Barnes & Noble, 10180 S. State St., Sandy, Ut. from 5-9 p.m.
Out-of-State signings
When: Nov. 13, Barnes & Noble, 2813 East 3rd St., Bloomington, Indiana, from 2-3 p.m.
Dec. 7, Borders, 550 2nd Ave., New York City, NY., from 4-5 p.m.
Dec. 10, Borders, 456 University Ave., Palo Alto, Calif. from 6:30-8 p.m.
Dec. 11, Borders, 120 Crescent Dr., Pleasant Hill, Calif. from 12-2 p.m.
Website: www.lizcarlston.com