While writers are always on the lookout for the inspiration to spark the next great novel, some stories just seem to coalesce unexplainably. Carole Whang Schutter was driving in the majestic Rocky Mountains a few years ago when she started thinking about her lifelong ambition to become a novelist. Schutter imagined writing a tale set over a hundred years ago, a love story on a wagon train in the Wild West with a dark twist and a fatal ending.

When Schutter began researching the mid Nineteenth century wagon trails, she made a startling discovery: On September 11, 1857, nearly 120 men, women and children were killed by a Mormon militia in the mountains of Utah. Considered by Whang to be the the first act of religious terrorism in the United States, the Mountain Meadows Massacre and the question of who ordered the attack has been surrounded by secrecy and controversy ever since.

“When I began to research the old west wagon trails, I found the story I had imagined was real. I was shocked to find it actually existed,” says Schutter. Naturally, the popular first reaction for most people is asking ‘Why haven’t more people heard about this? Why is it so hidden?’ Schutter had come across a story so compelling she could not deny it needed to be told. “I just thought ‘I have to write this story,’” she remembers.

Starting with a Screenplay

Schutter created a story with the fictional characters from her idea for an original love story and entwined them with the historical events of the Mountain Meadow Massacre. Though she had never written a screenplay before, she first imagined the story as a film. “I just couldn’t believe this story hadn’t been made into a movie. So I did it,” says Schutter.

She discussed the story with her friend and fellow Aspen resident Christopher Cain, who eventually reviewed her screenplay. Cain directed 1988’s Young Guns, with Emilio Estevez and Kiefer Sutherland, and also directed Hillary Swank in her first major role in The Next Karate Kid. Cain agreed to help Schutter with the story, and the pair extensively researched the event and revised the screenplay. “We knew we had to be careful with the controversy of the story,” Schutter says, “so we spent a long time with the research.” Almost two years later Schutter and Cain had found over 50 documented accounts of the massacre, including congressional investigations, speeches by Brigham Young and even an excerpt from Jon Krakauer’s 2003 bestseller Under the Banner of Heaven.

The story was controversial enough they were convinced no major company would pick up the movie. Once they had finalized the screenplay, dubbed September Dawn, Schutter and Cain realized they had the resources to produce the film independently. Jon Voight was cast in the leading role as Mormon bishop Jacob Samuleson, whose eldest son falls in love with a Christian girl from the wagon train before the group is killed, and filming began.

Writing the Novel

While the film was in production in Canada, Schutter was convinced to use her research to write a novel about the story. “I really knew that I had to write the novel once we went to film the movie,” says Schutter. “So many of the crew members told me when they read the script, they were so blown away by the story they all tried to find books on the subject.” The novel format allows the reader to delve deeper into the story of September Dawn, as Schutter was able to include additional research and spend more time developing the characters in the story.

When Schutter began looking to publish her novel earlier this year, her main concern was timing the release of the book to coincide with the film. “We knew controversy was going to drive the movie and publicity would reach a peak during the premiere,” says Schutter. She hired a literary agent and started exploring the options of large publishing houses. But her agent quickly leveled with her. “We didn’t know when the movie was going to open, and my agent explained it can take a year or more to get the book on a traditional production schedule, and it simply wouldn’t be done in time for an early summer release,” says Schutter. The two agreed that self-publishing was the best route for September Dawn.

Publishing and Promoting

Once Schutter began exploring her publishing options, assistance was not far away. Kathi Macias was editing the manuscript of September Dawn, and she had written a number of books herself and published The Train-of-Thought Writing Method with AuthorHouse in 2005. Macias was familiar with the AuthorHouse publishing process and knew the company could have the book launched in time for the movie premiere. Once the edited manuscript was submitted it to AuthorHouse, they were reviewing the first galley within a week. “AuthorHouse was easy to work with and willing to guide me along the way, which was especially helpful because this was my first book,” says Schutter.

With the book ready to go and the national movie launch coming up on June 22, Schutter has shifted her focus to promotional efforts for September Dawn. CBS’ 60 Minutes will run a segment on the story later this month, and the trailers and buzz about the movie have ignited discussions on message boards across the internet. Although much of her publicity has been due to the controversy over the story and its link to Mormonism, Schutter says people of all backgrounds can learn from the story. “The story was really well done, so people need to go see the movie and read the book themselves to make up their own mind,” says Schutter.

One group has already seen the movie, and has made up their minds. “The survivors’ descendants and family members attended a screening, and they felt it was amazingly accurate,” says Schutter. “One of the descendents pulled me aside afterwards and told me the oldest living survivor there said he could now die in peace knowing the truth had been told. All they wanted was to be acknowledged and have the story out in the open.” For more information, please visit www.carolewhangschutter.com or www.septemberdawn.net.