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A CONVERSATION WITH DON J. SNYDER

Don J. Snyder is the author of Fallen Angel; he subsequently adapted his novel for the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation that premiered on CBS November 23, 2003.  “Fallen Angel” is a story of redemption, love and family, a tale that reminds us that it's never too late to forgive -and never too late to love. 

The Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of “Fallen Angel” stars Gary Sinise (Apollo 13), Joely Richardson (101 Dalmatians) and Jordy Benattar (What Makes a Family). Don Snyder is the author of The Cliff Walk, Of Time and Money and the novel Night Crossing. He lives with his wife and four children in Scarborough, Maine.

QUESTION: Where did this story come from?

DON J. SNYDER: I spent the winter of 1979 in Bangor, Maine, and I saw something back then that remained in my memory bank for the next 22 years. I used that incident as the cornerstone of Fallen Angel, which I wrote in 2001.

I was walking through the streets of old Bangor one night, and saw a homeless man in a parking lot where people had left their cars while attending a concert by the Bangor Symphony. It was a brutally cold night, and the man was warming his hands by placing them on the hood of the cars, which had in turn been warmed by the cars' engines. At the same time he was warming his hands, he was warming his face, by bending over and placing it a few inches above the hoods. It looked for all the world like he was an angel, praying at the altar of the hoods of those cars.

I took that mental snapshot long before the whole issue of homelessness really came into the public consciousness. You just didn't see many homeless people back then, certainly not in a city like Bangor. I remember having intense curiosity about this man's earlier life. He'd obviously taken a metaphorical fall somehow. What had caused it? What happened in his life? What made him step over the line -and what prevented him from crossing back over and rejoining what we call "society?" I was haunted by that image and those questions for 22 years.

Q: Is there a ‘message’ in this story?

I cringe a bit at use of the word "message," but I do think Fallen Angel says to readers -and now to viewers -that none of us is beyond redemption. If you are possessed of a good heart and carry compassion in your heart for other people, then good things are probably going to happen to you. "Good things happen to good people" is a hoary old cliche, but like most hoary old cliches, it happens to be true!

Q: You visited the set, in Canada.  What was the experience like?

When you're writing, you're very much alone. So it was a revelation –and a great deal of fun --seeing such a large community of artists turning Fallen Angel into a film. I was immensely impressed with the enthusiasm, the spirit, with which everyone was tackling their assignments. It was very gratifying to see so many people caring so much about this story.

            I was also pleased that when I talked to Gary Sinise he intuitively grasped that the theme of redemption is central to this story. I was also impressed that the director, Michael Switzer, and the producer, Anne Hopkins, cared so much about detail. They all wanted to be faithful to the book, and I appreciate that.

-- HALLMARK CHANNEL --