A True Crime Writer Cut From A Different Cloth
By Jeremy Reynalds (05/27/05)
Too many of us think that working for the Lord means we have to be out there preaching, teaching, or doing something traditionally regarded as "the Lord's work."
Award-winning television reporter Mark Horner's book "September Sacrifice" (www.markhorner.com/Hoss/index.html) should put that misnomer to rest.
Horner (whom I have known for a number of years) has written a gripping, heart-pounding but meticulously researched book that by focusing on one tragic case that played out in Albuquerque, New Mexico, documents the evils of domestic violence at its worst.
Reflecting about Horner and his book, it struck me that by exposing such evil he is making use of his God-given ability to communicate, and by so doing letting his light shine and doing the Lord's work.
The back cover of "September Sacrifice" reads in part, "‘‘If I'm ever late for work, call the police!' That's what Albuquerque, New Mexico bank teller Girly Chew told her boss. The Malaysian-born beauty lived in mortal fear of her pathologically deranged husband and had taken out a restraining order against him. She was late for work for the first – and last – time on Sept. 10 1999. Her bloodstained clothes were found near a lonely stretch of desert highway. (Her) estranged spouse was an unrepentant scam artist with a terrifying violent streak. Born Armando Chavez Jr. in Texas, he changed his name to Diazien Hossencofft and said he was from Switzerland."
The book should be required reading in every domestic violence shelter (faith-based or otherwise) worldwide.
Not surprisingly, with such a fascinating story so well told, Horner received excellent reviews on Amazon (www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786016639/ref=ase_markhornercom-20/102-0118898-7103339?v=glance&s=books), New Mexico Magazine and other publications.
One review was particularly impressive, since the writer at one time had a relationship with Hossencofft's girlfriend/accomplice Linda Henning.
Steve Zachary wrote on Amazon that Horner's book "comprehensively deciphers a labyrinth of horror, intrigue, and dedication; while exhibiting clarity of presentation. I was thoroughly impressed with the manner in which scrupulous attention to detail was the propelling force; highlighting examination of the sheer magnitude of diverse, obtuse, and disjunctive elements collated with precision.....ultimately yielding lucidity for reader analysis. Mark Horner has exemplified a compelling example of expertise in investigative reporting, with skills honed from years of experience as a TV journalist. He transitioned this ability to the written word, with equal flair and aplomb. Only someone with the unique vantage point of having lived this case from day number one, could generate so encompassing a scope of research, as is categorically evidenced in this book."
WRITING THE BOOK
In a recent interview, I asked Horner about how he ended up writing "September Sacrifice." He said that when he first heard the story back in 1999, he was very intrigued.
However, while the story was becoming more of a mystery, he said, "there is only so much that you're typically allowed to do (as a local television reporter) on a missing woman."
For example, Horner said, he would suggest to his bosses at the time that they assign him to do another story on the case. But, he said, "they would have me chase a story on graffiti…a story that didn't even exist."
However, Horner had already begun accumulating police documents on the case.
Much of his research, Horner said, he did on his own time.
"I interviewed people who later died. I never had a thought of writing the story to make money. It was a story that needed to see the light of day, and hopefully (its telling) could help prevent some sort of domestic violence tragedy or death in the future."
In addition, Horner added, he had always wanted to write a book and felt it (and the web site which he started before the book) "had a higher purpose." In addition, he said, he didn't want to go to his grave never having pursued his dream.
A "TUMULTUOUS RELATIONSHIP"
Horner said never having written a book before, he had a "tumultuous relationship" with the project and encountered more than a few moments of self doubt.
He said while there were a few days when he didn't write, most of the time he worked seven days a week. In fact, he added, on a number of days he worked right through the night until the sun came up.
I asked Horner what his best day was while writing the book. There were so many ways he could have answered. Maybe a typical author's response would have been, "I'd been having such a hard time with one particular portion of the book. It just wouldn't come together. Then suddenly everything just seemed to fall in place."
Or perhaps, "Writing a book is much more difficult than I ever originally anticipated but the end result was so gratifying."
But that wasn't Horner's answer. More focused on others than himself, he didn't hesitate before answering it was the day he met Steve Fugate, a Florida man who lost his son to suicide and is now on a quest to save the lives of others.
Horner described the experience on his web site (www.markhorner.com/steve/fugate.html). "On Wed. July 9 2003, I couldn't help but notice an odd site while slowly driving through Hillsboro (New Mexico where Horner was holed-up writing his book), a man with a pair of walking sticks, a Mylar-covered visor, a cart in tow, and something else. In bold red letters, the words ‘Love Life' stretched skyward directly above the man's head. He had paused to allow someone to photograph him while the temperature flirted with 100 degrees."
Horner continued, "Mr. Fugate shared that he never takes any money, food or anything from anyone unless they allow him to share his story first. In telling the story of the son he lost, he also shared that suicide is cruel, selfish and shatters the lives of the living. ‘It's the third leading cause of death of young people in this country,' he stated with more than a little despair in his voice. But there is hope, too. This walk around America, he said, will hopefully reach someone. If it saves one life, he'll be satisfied."
A noticeably less inspiring day, Horner said, was when he received a letter from Henning, who'd written from her prison cell to declare that he wouldn't live to finish the book. In the middle of the night which followed, he heard a rapid, staccato pounding on his back door, just two steps from the foot of his bed. The isolated small, single-story home he'd rented for his book project had large windows and no curtains. In total darkness, it took him ten minutes to find a telephone and dial the local sheriff's department. Deputies found fresh footprints immediately beside the back yard's adobe fence. To this day, Horner still doesn't know the identity of his middle-of- the-night visitor.
BUYING THE BOOK
All of the above is a long way round of saying that you need to buy Horner's book. It makes for a captivating read, and will hopefully expand your horizons about making an impact for the Lord by making use of those God given gifts with which He has blessed us.
Mark Horner can be reached at info@markhorner.com
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