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Help Me Decide my NanoWrimo Project

2009-09-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how fast a year goes by. Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) is just six months away. For those who don't know about Nano, it's a crazy time when people from all over the world try to write 50,000 words of a novel. Well, this year I have three ideas. So, I'm seeking input. Not saying I'm putting it to a vote, but certainly if I get a big response to one of these I may be more inclined to begin prepping that one. So, here they are:

The Essence of Magic I started this one for Nano '08, but did very little on it so I'm starting over. The basic story follow Kaarl, a young student essence mage. Kaarl lives in a world where "magic" is a basic resource like water or food. On his world exist resevoirs of Essence a substance neither matter nor energy which can be used to empower the culture itself. Essence is manipulated using a combination of sound and mental energy. Most people can use a few simple spellsongs, but those talented to do the more complex essence tasks form the elite of society. And with a level 7 rating, Kaarl is destined to be in the Elite of the Elite.

Used in everything from cooking to healing to construction, Essence is the foundation of the culture. Essence producing countries and the Mages of those countries are "first among equals." A Pax Essencia has existed for thousands of years because of the co dependent relationship between producers of essence and their consumers. But now, the great secret is emerging - the world is running out of Essence. Kaarl, his girlfriend who is a linguist specializing in ancient tongues and a farm boy with a knack for building machines must find the library of the ancients and rediscover technology which will eventually save their world and destroy their way of life.

The Torch Newspaper journalist Carla Waters covered the Vietnam War, unlocked secrets in the halls of congress, exposed scandals, uncovered criminal conspiracies and brought down governors and senators. When she wakes up in a drunken stupor after partying with a has-been rock star and misses an important interview with an influential senator, she finds herself on the hotseat. Barred from the congressional press corps and in hot water with her boss, she is assigned to cover something Carla has successfully avoided throughout her entire career -- The Dreaded Human Interest Story. She must spend two weeks in a small town living with the family of a Special Olympics champion chosen to carry the Olympic Torch down main street of his town. Can a break from life in the fast lane soften this hard bitten journalist? And what kind of impact can she make on this small town. Maybe they can save each other.

The Forecast is Murder On the moon, the weather is never in doubt. Residents of the subterranean towns always know when it will be "sunny" or "rainy." The forecast is 100% correct because the weather service doesn't predict the weather. They make the weather. So, when history professor Carolyn Masters wakes up to rain when the forecast predicted cool and sunny with a slight breeze, she knew something was wrong. When the chief weather programmer is murdered she knows something is very wrong. As a former FBI profiler, Carolyn is not surprised when Michael Cheravik, former Dallas homicide detective and current criminology professor calls her to help find the killer. Their journey takes them into the worlds low gravity soccer, interplanetary gambling and Big Time Wrestling.

Tuck: Surprisingly Satisfying

2009-05-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

(Tuck by Stephen Lawhead. )

Those of you who have been following my posts on Facebook and Twitter know already that reading this book has been a struggle. It is honestly not my cup of tea and to say I enjoyed it would be deceptive. As a whole, I did not enjoy it. I'm not a big fan of this particular type of literature. But my own preferences and even enjoyment are irrelevant to the review process. A reviewer to be effective must be dispassionate in her evaluation.

Given that, I would have to say that Stephen Lawhead is certainly a master storyteller. I was impressed by his pacing. Too many writers of action-adventure fiction feel "conflict" must always involve a physical battle. One has little time to rest between fights and you feel like you are being pushed at top speed from one to another. Lawhead, however, interspersed periods of calm in between the battles. These were times when we could learn about the backstory and get to know the characters somewhat.

I have to say the characters, while distinctive, were not terribly well developed. I must preface the following by saying I have not read the other books and perhaps having read them the characters might have felt more solid. However, in most other ways this book stands on its own. I found most of the characters sort of stock stereotypes. Rhiban is heroic. Merian is beautiful and spunky. Alan is a scamp. And Tuck - well - Tuck is a classic hybrid warrior priest with Rosary in one hand and a stout staff to smash your head in the other. I do not consider that a positive character, but that's irrelevant to this review. However, I did like how Tuck recovers his Christianity at the end. I will say no more and spoil the story.

This is why I said the story was surprisingly satisfying. Throughout the book I was steaming over this supposed priest, quoting scripture and praying for the deaths of others. The number of commandments broken, the deciet, the hatred, the violence were hardly in keeping with that of a servant of the one who would not lift a hand in his own defense and healed the ear of the soldier sent to kill him. Tuck had more of Joshua than Yeshua in him. However, at the end, the victory comes as he rediscovers his call.

I would have liked to have seen this foreshadowed. I would have liked to have seen some sort of self doubt, questioning, or guilt. There were moments, but they were rare. A favorite scene in the book for me was at the end of chapter two when Tuck passes some dead soldiers and says:

"May God have mercy on their vile and wretched souls," Tuck whispered hastening away, "and grant them the peace they have denied to others." Thinking better of this crabbed prayer, he added, "Welcome them into Your eternal kingdom--but not for my sake, Good Lord, no--but for the sake of Your own dear son who always remembered to forgive His enemies. Amen."

I would have liked to have seen more moments like that in the book and fewer of Tuck praying for the arrows to fly true and "find their marks." The arrogant assumption that God must necessarily be on ones own side in a political conflict certainly has lead to great destruction of lives, communities and entire nations.

Interestingly enough, for me the most interesting and endearing character in his own way was King William. His misguided, but noble and sincere, attempt to atone for all the deaths he and his father had caused in battle was sad and touching. I would have liked to have seen more of this character. I suspect he is a more significant character in the other books. He comes across as a slightly clueless, reluctant warrior which is honestly more engaging than the cock sure Rhiban.

I warn potential readers that the book has a very high body count. Killing and bloodshed are glorified if in a "good cause." So, if that type of violence bothers you, then you might stay away from this book.

However, if you enjoy a well crafted medieval war story, this realistic re-telling of the Robin Hood myth is worth your time. Meanwhile check out the other sites on this tour.

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Keanan Brand
Rachel Briard
Grace Bridges
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Alex Field
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Joleen Howell
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Terri Main
Margaret
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Caleb Newell
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Epic Rat
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Robert Treskillard
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson

Review of Tuck by Stephen Lawhead - The Process

2009-05-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

(Tuck by Stephen Lawhead. )

Okay, I have not read this book yet. Finals, bad health, cat ate my computer, pick your excuse it all works. Anyway, I am going to read it tomorrow and then post a review on Friday, but I thought you might like to take an inside look at the process. So, let me tell you what I am doing and thinking right now.

First, I take a look at the cover. It's a nice hard bound cover. The design is simple but elegant. I see it is book three in the King Raven series.

Oh great. Once again, I'm reviewing a book in a series where I haven't read the other books. Of course, it may stand alone. It should stand alone. Every book should be able to be read on it's own merits. Okay, maybe that's just me venting because I didn't read the other two books.

I see this is Stephen Lawhead as author. Pretty big name for our little blog tour. Now, I'll check out the cover copy on the back.

The first thing that hits me is a quote "Pray God our aim is true and each arrow finds its mark"

Oh no, not another "God is on our side and all those human beings on the other side are evil demons from the netherworld and not sons and husbands and fathers with fathers, wives and sons who will weap over their deaths" type of book. Getting a little tired of the Christian publishing world ready to justify any type of violence but will shudder if someone even mentions a sexual topic. Okay, more venting. Doesn't mean this book is really like that. I would like to see more speculative fiction that doesn't involve battles and massive killing sprees. But I'll reserve judgement. And that is a personal matter of taste and not something relevant to the excellence of the writing or story.

Apparently, this series follows the adventures of Rhi Bran also known as King Raven and is told from the perspective of Friar Tuck.

Okay, another retelling of the Robin Hood mythos. What an enduring legend. The idea of a band of outlaws, who use robbery as a form of social commentary and civil disobedience. Wonder about the theology of robbery as a means to help the poor. By the way, I wonder if they have Men in Tights available on demand.

Seems like it is a story about a rebellion to find a homeland for the peoople of Elfael.

Sounds tedious right now. Supposedly set in the latter 11th and early 12th centuries. Probably glamourizes that whole bloody era, turning local politics into a morality play of some sort with clear villains and heroes when the real characters of history are rarely either. I feel uneasy with stories set in historical times dealing with historical events which never actually happened. But then I do like the Brother Cadfael mysteries which do that. So, this might be like that. Again, I need to reserve judgement until I read the book.

Now, to read the book. I will be posting updates on Twitter and Facebook as I read the book tomorrow. Realize that these will be purely personal responses and not to be confused with a reasoned evaluation of a book based on its own merits and not my subjective responses, but you might be interested in the process.

Meanwhile, check out what others are saying about Tuck at these other blog sites:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Keanan Brand
Rachel Briard
Grace Bridges
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Alex Field
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Joleen Howell
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Terri Main
Margaret
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Caleb Newell
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Epic Rat
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Robert Treskillard
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson

Flashpoint is an Amazon Bestseller

2009-05-13T00:32:00.000-07:00

Frank Creed's ground-breaking Christian cyberpunk novel Flashpoint (The Writers' Cafe Press, 2007) passed a major milestone yesterday. It was listed as the top selling religious science-fiction/fantasy book on Amazon.com, the world's leading online bookseller.

The rankings, which are updated hourly showed Creed's book leading sales of the popular Dragonkeeper series by Donita Paul and the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.

“I nearly fell off my chair when I saw that,” commented Creed. “I am hugely happy about this especially in light of what's coming next.”

Creed is referring to the publication of War of Attrition, the second book in the Underground series later this year.

Flashpoint tells the story of a brother and sister living in the Chicago Metroplex of 2036 in a world where all religious devotion regardless of sect is considered terrorism. Taking the “street names” of Calamity Kid and eGirl, they join a “muscle cell” of the underground church tasked with protecting – within the limitations of the “Agape principle”- Christian believers from persecution through the use of non-lethal weapons and spiritually empowered cybernetic implants.

For more information about Frank Creed or The Underground series, visit http://www.frankcreed.com

Self Publishing: Everybody's Right - Sort of

2009-05-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

If you want to stimulate a vigorous discussion among a group of writers, just raise the question of self-publishing. Almost immediately, they will gather into one of two camps. One camp sees self-publishing as the salvation of the written word. The other camp sees it as the death of literary quality. Truth be told, both are right.

The problem with highly polarized questions is that they force out the more reasoned evaluation that exists at some point between the the extremes. Self-Publishing is no exception to that rule. Rational discussion degenerates into open warfare between those claiming that self-publishing democratizing publishing providing the reader with a greater variety of reading materials than the traditional publisher driven system can provide and those claiming that self-published inevitably means poor quality.

The ugly truth is that both sides speak the truth just not all of it. Self-Publishing does create a greater variety of materials than is economically feasible for traditional publishers to produce. This is particularly important for writers and readers of niche literature. For instance, a traditional publisher warehousing thousands of copies of each book cannot afford to publish books of interest to only a few hundred people. However, the self-published author can write that book about underwater basket weaving and underwater basket weavers everywhere will rejoice to find new patterns for their seaweed baskets.

Using the internet as a distribution pipeline, readers with special interests can find the types of books they want and writers with a drive to write that type of literature can reach that audience. So, while sales of books in bookstores and through traditional publishers are down, there is no lack of publishing, buying and selling the printed word.

It's a beautiful world where self-publishing has saved the written word from extinction, then. Right?

Sorry, not quite. The other side claims, with some strong justification, that self-publishing is degrading the overall quality of printed materials. They say, that it is true we have more printed material available to readers, but just having more garbage doesn't make it any less smelly. The traditional publishing system of editors and editorial teams acting as gatekeepers produces higher quality writing and produces a better physical product.

I agree completely that most self-published material fails to meet even minimum standards of acceptability in terms of literary skill. Likewise, the physical product tends to be poorly edited and poorly designed.

When the only one deciding if a piece of writing deserves publication is the writer, there exists a huge hole for the devil to creep in. Who of us are truly objective about our own writing? We give birth to a book and it is our pride and joy. Like proud parents it is perfect in our sight and what isn't perfect, well, that just adds to the special-ness of the little tyke.

Unfortunately, most self-publishers are motivated less by a desire to fill a niche not being filled by the traditional media, but by impatience and incompetence. They don't want to go through the long process of pitching a book to multiple editors, then revising, editing, rewriting the manuscript until it is ready for publication. I can heat up a three-course meal in the microwave in 10 minutes. Why can't I get published like that? Well, I can. Just upload the text, choose a few designs, and after a few keystrokes and mouseclicks, you too, can be a published author. And you don't have to hear any editor telling you that your manuscript is not yet ready for publication or (horror of horrors) that is just isn't very good.

So, where does this leave us? It leaves us with and "embarrassment of riches." Self-publishing brings to the reading public many quality books each year that traditional publishing could not (or would not) publish. Certainly, those of us you enjoy Christian speculative fiction often depend on self-published materials to feed our hunger for the genre.

However, without any gatekeepers, all sorts of low lifes rush into the courtyard. The consumer has to be even more critical in evaluating their book purchases. They can no longer depend on a publisher to pre-screen the writing or to proofread the manuscript. They have to be more involved in the process of making an informed purchase. Perhaps, that is the biggest benefit that can arise from self-publishing.

Magic, Mensa and Mayhem: Don't read it in a library

2009-04-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

Magic, Mensa and Mayhem by Karina Fabian is not a good book to read in a library. Last week I read through the book in my library, receiving disapproving looks from the librarian with every snicker. I rarely laugh out loud when I am reading, but the antics of the characters in this book did it for me.

Magic, Mensa and Mayhem is part of a series of stories written by Fabian, featuring Vern, an immortal dragon cursed by St. George to do good works. Most recently, he has been doing those good works in New Mexico as a private detective specializing in crimes related to magic. A portal between our world and the world of Faerie opened up creating a commerce between the two worlds. Vern, along with Sister Grace of the Faerie Catholic Church, fights evil on both sides of the portal usually resulting in saving one of the two worlds.

Vern's most recent (nonpaying) job is to babysit a bunch of “magicals” on a trip to a Mensa convention. Riding herd on pixies, brownies, fairies, an Indian trickster named Coyote and a Valkyrie named Brunhilde, may be in Sis. Grace's words: “ the toughest job we've not gotten paid for.”

From there the romp includes averting a dozen crises from invisible brownies to averting an interdimensional war sparked a rivalry between two fairies.

The strength of Fabian's writing lies in creating memorable characters populating improbable plots that seem perfectly credible as you read them. She has the unique ability to wrap a parody around a strong believable plot.

The stories are written in such a way that they can be read and understood easily without having read any of the other books in the series. However, in some ways, this leads to the only flaw in the story. Fabian frequently interrupts the flow of a scene by a long aside about something which took place in a previous story. Sometimes this works, but many times it is not necessary to know that bit of the backstory to understand the current plot. This is a hard balance for the writer of a series to strike. I suspect that as more books and stories about Vern emerge, Fabian will find that balance.

I can recommend this book heartily, but be warned: Don't read it in a library!

Meet Karina Fabian: The Woman Behind the Dragon

2009-04-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

Karina Fabian is the Author of Magic, Mensa and Mayhem, a glorious romp featuring a Dragon P.I., a Nun and a bunch of Magical creatures at a Mensa Convention. I'll be reviewing the novel tomorrow, but today, let's meet Karina:

1. Tell us a little about yourself? I know it is vague, but it gives the reader a chance to get to know the woman behind the dragon.

There's not that much to me, really. I had a happy childhood with loving parents and a terrific and beautiful sister. College was fun, then I did 4 years in the Air Force, where I met the love of my life, Rob, and we now have four terrific kids. We'll have been married 19 years in November, and I love him even more than when we first got married. I admire him even more, too. He's still in the Air Force--a Lt. Col. now--so we move every couple of years. I love the adventure. Most of my really good friends are online, which is wonderful since we do move so often.

I'm a Mensan and a notorious punner. I love to play with characters and clichés. I've been writing professionally for about 13 years, most of it non-fiction, but started concentrating on fiction in the last couple of years. I aspire toward getting that NYC publisher contract that will get my books on the shelves, but in the meantime, I enjoy the relationship I have with the publishers at the smaller presses I am working with now.

2. Give a short summary of the premise for MMM. (I know the dreaded elevator pitch)

I'm going to cheat and give you the Publisher's Weekly review because I think the author did such a great job of summarizing it: Religion and humor suffuse this well-imagined and densely plotted comedic mystery, based on a short story of the same title. Cursed by St. George to serve the Faerie Catholic Church, dragon detective Vern now sleuths in the mundane world. His latest (unpaid) assignment is to babysit a group of faeries attending a Mensa meeting. Vern quickly has his claws full juggling crises, from invisible brownies to two elves whose rivalry threatens to become interdimensional war. Distinctly memorable and occasionally silly supporting characters, from Brunhilde the Valkyrie to Native American trickster Coyote, steer the action. While the conclusion sticks perilously close to genre formula and the narrative is jumpy throughout, most readers will forgive the clichés (and Vern’s groan-worthy puns) and chuckle all the way through.

(Incidentally, the ending was supposed to stick close to genre--it's a parody, after all.  )

3. Give us a little background on the Vern stories.

Each one is a mystery, usually in the noir style of Sam Spade, but the cases involve magic and myth. Sometimes, some very disparate myths get combined. "Amateurs," which earned honorable mention in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2008, mixed a legend about the fairies taking the form of insects to fight their war and the Biblical plaque of locusts. Another, "Christmas Spirits," (for sale on my website) is a play off A Christmas Carol. I also have a few fun vignettes with Vern dealing with humans, especially Mundane humans. The novels get a little more complex. After Magic, Mensa and Mayhem, I have Live and Let Fly, a super-spy spoof. All are told from Vern's POV, which I adore writing. I love indulging my snarky side--I don't let it out very often.

4. People are often interested in the writing process. Where did you get the idea for a Dragon PI?

I'd heard about an anthology called Firestorm of Dragons. I wanted a story in it, so I racked my brains for a unique take on dragons, running them past Rob. After a fruitless half an hour, we went to watch "Whose Line is it, Anyway?" with the kids. It's a silly comedy improv. While watching a parody of a film noir, the thought came to me that I could do that with a dragon. Vern was born.

I built the world around Vern, giving him the background to fit a down-and-out, cynical detective: losing a fight to St. George, being dragooned into service of the Church (thus unable to earn money), getting exiled to the Mundane side of the Gap... the usual with a fantasy twist. For the first story, I gave him a simple mystery that turned into a save-the-world thing. "Dragon Eye, PI" made it in Firestorm, and I have two more stories coming out in anthologies later this year: Book of Tentacles (Samsdot, July 2009) and Mother Goose Is Dead (DragonMoon, 2010)

A lot of my ideas come from prompts--a call for submissions to an anthology, a suggestion from a friend, or some movie I've seen or legend I've read. Since I'm a seat-of-the-pants writer, I usually daydream about it, then just sit and write.

5. Have you faced any opposition from Christians related to the injection of magic into your stories? How do you respond to that?

No, I haven't. I must not run in that group. The closest I ever came was a woman at a booksigning who said I was writing about Satan. I told her, "He's not from Revelation. Not enough heads." She said all dragons are Satan. So I directed her to the other great books on my table instead.

I think if anyone had a problem with my books, I'd just direct them elsewhere. My stuff isn't for everyone, after all, and I'd be a fool to think otherwise.

6. What other writing/editing projects have you done other than the Dragon PI stories?

Infinite Space, Infinite God: Thought-provoking sci-fi with a Catholic twist (Twilight Times, 2007; available on Amazon). An anthology of 15 sci-fi stories with Catholic themes or characters; a 2007 EPPIE winner for best Sci-Fi

Leaps of Faith: Christian sci-fi...because God and science do co-exist (The Writers Cafe Press, 2008) 14 stories of science interacting with the Christian faith. 2004 EPPIE finalist for best anthology

I also have a trilogy under consideration, am working on the second Infinite Space, Infinite God, and am writing a Catholic Sci-fi novel.

7. What would you like to add about the book or yourself?

Magic, Mensa and Mayhem was a lark for me to write--something funny and silly and very low-key. I'm amazed and honored at the response it's gotten. I hope folks will like the subsequent books and stories. Vern is such fun and the world is so rich that I intend to write about it for a long time.

Incidentally, if you like Vern, please join the DragonEye, PI, website, www.dragoneyepi.net. You get a free copy of "Amateurs" plus a subscription to the DragonEye, PI, newsletter.

Wrting: A Lonely Life - NOT!!!!

2009-01-19T06:57:00.000-08:00

When I was in college journalism classes, you learned to write by being herded into a typing (yes, I'm that old, and they were manual typewriters) room, given some facts for a news story, given a 30 minute deadline and set to work. Later working on newspapers and in radio stations, and eventually in academia, the collegiality of those social writing environments were both stimulating intellectually and comforting emotionally.

You could bounce ideas off each other, ask for help, or take a break and catch up on the office gossip, which sometimes was oddly refreshing. Just the knowledge of these other writers working around you made you feel not so much alone in this great endeavor to share words and ideas with the world.

I sometimes wonder why it is that I can produce 50,000+ words of fiction during National Novel Writing Month and barely get half that done any other time. But I know why. It's the knowledge that any time I sit down at the keyboard and begin that wrestling match with my characters and plot that there are thousands of other people doing the same. And they aren't just nameless, faceless people. I get burnt out or tired or need some inspiration or a question answered, I can click over to the discussion board and take part in a "word war" or give a suggestion or two about names in the future or philosophize about whether dystopic fiction is depressing or hopeful, or just share the frustration of the writing life.

One would think with all those digressions, that productivity would wane. Yet, the opposite is true. Just as that short gossip break in the middle of covering a big story or working on that course outline in a face-to-face setting can be the refreshing break you need to push through, seeing that "wordwarrior1978" didn't quite hit your high score for the day, or simply answering the question, "What is your character doing right now?" can help me get that second wind to push through to my daily writing goal in a way working alone cannot.

So, where is all this leading? Modern internet technology, what has been called Web 2.0, has created tools for us to move away from the isolation many of us can feel as writers. We are in a position to encourage one another, hold each other accountable, motivate, inspire, stimulate, assist and even provide those "water cooler" moments of diversion that refresh.

While social networking like Twitter, Facebook, Shoutlife, Linked in and MySpace, not to mention more traditional networking like discussion boards and email discussion lists can become a time sink if restraint is not exercised, they also can provide the writer, especially the writer who works at home, with a social support network.

For instance, say you are on Twitter with a lot of other writers in your own area of expertise. You need some piece of information. You post your question. It may just sit there. Or someone might "tweet" back with an answer. Or while you are writing, a tweet comes through telling you a friend just sold the article they have been working on, and you have been following their progress. That is an encouragement for you to keep writing.

So, here is a proposal. Begin to build your own writing support network. One online resource is the Lost Genre Guild Discussion Board . People are dropping by there all day long. Lots of tips and encouragement and a great place to ask questions. The Lost Genre Guild Email Discussion Group is another source for connection through the day.

Twitter is the world wide water cooler. 140 characters to say what you are doing, ask for prayer, seek advice, or just share your day. Great for "word wars" and other writing games. You don't know what a word war is? It's simple, you post an announcement for writers to start writing at a certain time until a certain time. At the end, compare word counts. You can follow me on twitter at Terrimain . Also, if you think about it post some encouragement throughout the day. Quotes, jokes, praises are always welcome.

Then there are the bigger social networking site. If you want to connect with me, you can at Facebook and Shoutlife.

Maybe together we can create a powerful social network of writers that cuts across the various technologies providing support, encouragement, inspiration and help to each other. It can be like the newsroom, just without the clatter of the typewriters.

Cyberpunk Author Frank Creed to appear in Second Life

2009-01-18T15:40:00.001-08:00

Christian Cyberpunk Novelist to Speak

Award-winning Christian Cyberpunk author Frank Creed will be appearing in Second Life, Tuesday, January 20 at 7 p.m. For Second Life residents the direct link to the location is http://slurl.com/secondlife/North%20Bound%20Marina/226/25/24

This will be an informal discussion in which Creed will share about his writing, his life and the state of Christian speculative fiction. Questions will be entertained by Creed. Afterwards, plans include virtual surfing and socializing.

.Creed is the founder of the Lost Genre Guild, a group of writers, editors and publishers of different types of speculative fiction with a Christian worldview.

"Christians own the copyright to demons and angels and spiritual warfare," notes Creed. "Yet, the bookshelves of Christian bookstores are almost totally devoid of speculative fiction except for some fairly sanitized young adult fantasies. Nevertheless, there is a small, but growing, group of writers and independent publishers using modern technology to make quality Christian speculative fiction available."

Creed is the author of Flashpoint and War of Attrition, both published by Writer's Café Press. Set in a future where fundamentalist Christians are considered terrorists, these books follow the exploits of a group of supernaturally cyber-enhanced resistance fighters using nonlethal weapons in an attempt to protect members of the underground church from the "Neros" or agents of the government seeking to crush the resistance and "re-educate" their members.

"I guess I created the first Christian Cyberpunk novel identified as such," says Creed. "There was a series of books published in the 1990's which might qualify as the first, but they were never marketed as cyberpunk."

In addition to writing the novels, Creed also helped co-author a role playing game based on the stories.

"I'm a gamer from way back. So, it was only natural for me to want to create an RPG where my readers could enter the world of The Underground," Creed explains.

Flashpoint has received critical acclaim and won several awards including: Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year (Elfwood 2006), CFRB Best Novel Toured Award (2007), finalist for the Pluto Award for the Best Science Fiction Novel Reviewed, and was nominated for the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Clive Staples award.

"Jesus understood the power of the story to communicate in his world. We are creating the parables of a new generation," says Creed.

For more information email Terri Main at webservant2003@yahoo.com

Lost Genre Guild: Discussion Board

2008-12-31T09:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have to admit that I'm not a great fan of discussion boards. I prefer email discussion groups. You don't have to go anywhere. You are answering your email anyway. Simple. But I have to say the LGG discussion board is great.

First, it is easy to use. So many discussion boards today are tied to social networks so you end up logging in and clicking through a bunch of different links before you get to the board. LGG can be accessed directly at http://www.lostgenreguild.com/phpBB3/index.php

When you get there, you can see all the forums at a glance. You can see which ones have new posts since your last visit and which do not. Simple, right? One click on the forum name and the threads are easy to scan and those with new posts are flagged.

You have a powerful text editor for your posts to make them look pretty. Okay, that might not matter to some people, but others of us like that.

But the attraction of this board is not purely aesthetic. We have a great group of people contributing to forums on science-fiction, horror, fantasy, writing issues, marketing and theology. There's a forum for "Shameless Self Promotion" and two "private" critique forums. The critique forums are password protected so that material posted there is for critique only and not published for the general public. You can request access to these groups.

The depth of experience of the regular posters to the board also make this a high quality discussion. There are many published authors, publishers, magazine and ezine editors, teachers and even a scientist. Lots of good help.

So, drop by. You can read the posts without having to register, but if you are interesting in Christian Speculative Fiction, we invite you to join in the conversation.

Lost Genre Guild : A personal journey

2008-12-30T11:08:00.001-08:00

Usually, during these blog tours, I give a good objective review of the book or website. Sometimes, I include a philosophical essay or interview. Today, I'm going to do something different. I'm going to get personal, because the Lost Genre Guild literally changed my life and restored something I thought I had put away forever.

I began writing my first science fiction story during the summer between 6th and 7th grades. I pounded away on my mother's 1939 Royal typewriter on some story about a time traveler from the 20th century and one from the 22nd century getting stranded in the 21st century at the home of their grandson/grandfather, the only non-scientist in the bunch. Unfortunately, I had a premise, but no story, but it started my love affair with writing in general and speculative fiction writing in particular.

By the time I hit college, I had all sorts of unfinished stories mostly Twilight Zone and Star Trek (original) inspired. In college my attention drifted to journalism, but still writing the occasional short story and saying, "When I get out of college and have the time, I'll get back to fiction writing." Out of college, I landed in radio and was writing commercials and promotions and news. And I said, when I get time, I'll write fiction.

I lost my job in radio (like Johnny Fever of WKRP said, "They all fire you eventually.") So, I had the time and set up shop as a full-time freelance writer. But I had to pay the rent. Advertising, stringing for a local radio station and writing magazine articles paid the rent. And I said, "When I have the time, I'll get back to fiction."

I wrote some stories, even started a novel or two. Tried to take the Writer's Digest Fiction Writing course. For awhile, I taught creative writing and could justify my time writing as an example to my students. But, I went to work in PR and had to write press releases and brochures. And I said, "When I have the time, I'll get back to fiction."

I got my dream job, teaching full-time, tenured at a college in a small town in the Central Valley of California. It took a few years to settle into the routine. For several years I drove 30 miles one way to work. And I came home worn out and I said, "When I have time, I'll write fiction."

My schedule cleared and I moved closer to the college. I began teaching more classes online. I got involved in internet ministry and was designing a bunch of ministry web sites and said, "When I have time I'll write fiction."

Then about five years ago, I joined the Fellowship of Christian Writers email discussion group. My fervor for writing was rekindled, but by now I said, "I'm a nonfiction writer. I just don't have the talent or skill for fiction writing. At one time I thought... but no more." But I was a whiz at marketing, and posted several things about marketing one's writing. Those items caught the eye of Frank Creed, founder of the Lost Genre Guild. He invited me to join the email discussion group. I told him. "I'm not a fiction writer. But I do love to read speculative fiction, and I'll help out any way I can."

The first several months, I felt out of my depth, fearful of contributing much beyond some marketing ideas because I was not a fiction writer. Then I noticed that while there were plenty of sites for Christian Fantasy which sometimes included science fiction, there were very few for science fiction. So, Wayfarers Journal was born. Since I had an ezine, I figured I could at least try to write something for it. I did, but didn't need it because I had plenty of better material available.

But it got my fingertips itchin' to do more fiction writing. So, all these folks at LGG were talking about National Novel Writing Month and the craziness of writing a novel in a month. So, I decided to try. My first effort was not spec fiction oriented, but I visited that forum a lot during the time and surprised myself by doing a credible job with a mystery Death Gets an "F" . Nothing to write home about, but hey, it was finished and it had words on a page and didn't read too badly.

By the time the next Nano came around, I had written three more short stories and was reading for a speculative fiction novel. Dark Side of the Moon was begun. This week, over a year later, I am within 10-15 hours of finishing the first draft. It ain't too shabby. I am working with Frank Creed and The Finishers off and on to get it into publishable shape. Frank is a fantastic writing mentor and coach.

So, I encourage you, even if you have deferred your own dreams of writing, to get acquainted with the Lost Genre Guild . Visit the website and drop by our forum and maybe join the Yahoo Group . Who knows, it may change your life as well.

Read what others are saying about LGG on the tour

Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Grace Bridges
Valerie Comer
Courtney
Frank Creed
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Lost Genre Guild
Mike Lynch
Magma
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Mirtika
Hanna Sandvig
James Somers
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Timothy Wise

Ebook Parity: What needs to happen for the e-book industry to succeed

2008-11-27T07:31:00.000-08:00

Every few years someone predicts the demise of paper and ink publishing. This usually happens after the release of some shiny new ebook reader. Most recently Amazon's Kindle has stirred such speculation. Certainly, it is an attractive option from a publisher's point of view. With virtually no production costs profit margins would soar. So, what has kept e-books from achieving any type of parity with paper and ink?

Before beginning to answer that question, let's look at some of the "success" of ebook publishing. As a college instructor, I am seeing more textbooks come with an online downloadable version for purchasers of the paper and ink book. These versions are fully searchable and often have active links to various web resources. Of course, it is still considered an adjunct to the traditional text and not usually bought as a "stand alone."

An increasing number of reference volumes are acheiving some sort of success, especially those which might be used while a person is still at the computer. I have my E-Sword Bible open much of the time with its ten translations, three commentaries, Bible atlas, Bible dictionary and three lexicons. I rarely use paper and ink for quick Bible reference any more. Of course, for more in depth study, few electronic resources match the depth I can find in paper and ink. And I don't even know where my paper and ink dictionary is. Who needs one when you can simply right-click and pull up spelling, definitions and synonyms.

Some business oriented ebooks for the busy professional written in abreviated style and able to be downloaded onto a PDA or smart phone have also acheived some measure of success.

Lagging behind, though, are books read for pleasure such as fiction, poetry, biographies, histories, etc. Yet, even in the "successful" fields we have seen little that approaches parity with paper and ink publishing industry wide.

Okay, I can see some of you saying, "Oh, but what about ______?" I want to be clear I'm talking about the industry as a whole and not just a single success story here and there.

I also want to make clear that I am not opposed to e-books, nor do I believe they will not be a major player eventually in the field. I even have one of my books out as an e-book option. And being a gadget freak, I want a sony ebook and a Kindle both, but I can't afford them.

Which brings me to the first thing that has to happen before e-books is for the cost of the reader to fall. Sony's e-book sells for $299 and Kindle for a whopping $359. That type of sticker shock is a major impediment to widespread use of this technology. With an average savings on an e-book of only $3-5 you need to buy 60-100 ebooks before you even pay for the device. And the "cool factor" alone for most of us is not enough to shake $300 out of our pockets, especially in tough economic times.

A related issue is the cost of the ebooks. Aside from public domain "classics" most ebooks offer little savings over paperback versions of the same books. At ereader.com you can still be paying over $20 for an e-book. I can guarantee you that the author isn't receiving any higher royalties than on the paper and ink version of the book. The extra is all going into the pocket of the publisher and ereader.com. People simply are not going to pay close to the same price for something they download. Until the average price of the readers fall below $100 and the price of the books offer at least a 50% discount the average reader is not going to consider the "convenience" of carrying an entire library in their purse to be worth the cost.

Of course, one could argue, that many, if not the majority of e-books, are sold in .pdf format readable on any computer screen. This is true. However, backlit computer screens are hard on the eyes for extended reading and even laptops are not that portable. I'm not going to take my laptop to bed to read the next chapter of my mystery novel or pop it open next to me on the counter at the diner over lunch. Reading for relaxation needs simplicity and portability. Computers are far from simple and only marginally portable.

PDA's and smart phones provide an attractive possibility. I download books on my Palm e-book reader. I am reading Wuthering Heights right now on my Palm. However, my thumb gets tired. I have nearly about four inch by two inch screen. That means about 25 words fit in one screen. My thumb hits the scroll button every few seconds. Also you have the backlit screen issue causing more eyestrain more quickly. Improvements in screen technology will probably help correct this issue over time. But the smaller screen will still mean constant scrolling. Special dedicated readers optimized for reading at a price an average person can afford is necessary if ebooks will take off.

E-books also need to play to their strengths. Marshall McLuhan claimed that each new medium initially draws it's content from a previous medium before developing its own forms. I suspect that e-books are at that stage. Many of the "problems" with e-books result from them trying to substitute for paper and ink books rather than play to their strengths. Again, I'm reminded of E-sword. It doesn't pretend to be a "book" with pages that you start at the beginning and go to the end with. It is searchable. You open it up, choose your translation, run a search term to find your scriptures and then chose from them. Click on one and bring up the commentaries and lexicons. That's something I can't do with paper and ink. I can have 10 reference works open at one time on one screen and rapidly compare them and then move to another scripture and they all update with me at once.

The power of such nonlinear content creation is obvious for reference works. What about entertainment? Again thinking outside the chapter will help. Interactive fiction is an obvious concept. Take a mystery novel. You follow the detective and then come to a decision point like does Joe (a) interview the hotel manager (b) check the autopsy report (c) look for clues in the hotel room. The reader jumps to that scene and then has other decisions to make.

What about muliple POV's for a single story. Tell the story from the POV of more than one MC and allow the reader to switch between them. After Marianne has told her parents she is going to marry Phfttchgh a purple alien from Alpha Centauri we could continue to follow Marianne, listen in on what her parents have to say or jump to a scene where Phfttchgh tells his four parents why he wants to marry the pale pink Marrianne.

Now, good multi-pov interactive novels, that just might make me part with $300.

With nonfiction the possibilities become even more interesting. For instance, being able to cross reference several books at once. Consider reading a history of Egypt and reading about Ahknaten. Then you could highlight his name, search all your other books for that name and pull up a set of links to those references. Imbedded links to websites or online encyclopedia or journals maybe with a one-time access fee charged to your credit card for pay-as-you-go services could also be an option.

The ability to insert video and audio clips into the text is another strength. Consider reading a history book about ancient Rome and then click on a link and the author takes you on a tour of the Colosseum.

So, yes, there is a future in e-books and in paper and ink. After all, they are pretty convenient, read in reflected light, portable, relatively inexpensive and the smell of the pages is intoxicating. (Okay, that may just be me). However, for e-books to become truly an equal alternative to paper and ink the cost needs to come down on both the readers and the material and the b00ks themselves need to begin to play to their strengths and break free of the paper and ink models.

Dragonlight by Donita Paul: Of Quests, Heretics and Cuddly Dragons

2008-07-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Dragonlight by Donita Paul proves among other things, that dragons can be cuddly. The lead character in the book, a light wizard named Kale, is a dragonkeeper. Her job is to help rebuild the dragon population in the land of Amarna by assisting in the hatching, nurturing and bonding with the various types of dragons which populate this world along with the seven "high races." Amarna is recovering from a period of warfare and times are relatively peaceful. So, Kale, her husband Sir Bardon, an entourage of dragons including the cuddly ones Kale keeps in the pocket of her remarkable wizard's cape, set off on a quest to find a colony of Meech dragons who are rumored to have come from another world and who had the ability to speak. Two meech dragons, Reginor and Gilda accompany the troup on their quest so tha Gilda can deliver her egg among her people.

Of course, things are not going to be that peaceful. A group of heretics, called the Followers, are forming a cult persuading people that they have a corner on the word from "Wulder" (the Amarnan word for God), which is actually delivered to a theocratic figure called "Paladin." Also, there are these tiny black dragons appearing out of nowhere stinging and attacking people (and particularly the dragonkeeper) with no rhyme or reason. Certainly, this time of peace is going to be anything but peaceful.

Coming in on the last book in a five book series, you do a good deal of catching up. However, Paul does a fair job of creating a good stand alone read. She has included a cast of characters in the front and a glossary in the back. I found myself using these resources frequently as new creatures like the tiny Kimmens and the furry doneels appeared. At times keeping the seven high races and the various types of dragons separate was a bit of a chore for a newcomer to the series.

Paul presents us with an enjoyable, light weight story with lots of action and fun. She creates a fairly complex world with a fairy tale feel to it. The book certainly feels like a good young adult novel. This is Disney and not Spielberg. This book won't challenge you to think much. That's not a criticism, just a description. Sometimes you don't want to think, just have some fun reading a rousing romp. There is no complexity here, just a fun story.

However, I would like to have seen more character development in this story. Except for two secondary characters most of the main characters end up the story pretty much as they started out. They tend to be rather too stereotypical in parts and I would like to see some of them struggle a bit more making decisions. It almost seems as though if one had a crisis of faith, they would be cast into outer darkness rather than allowed to struggle through it.

Also, there are times when we see a bit of sermonizing rather than letting the story itself convey the message. Here's an example: Reginor, a meech dragon, is speaking of his wife Guilda, whom he loves, but she tends to be self-centered:

"I want Gilda to discover joy again. I want her to see her self-destruction. I love her and want to shake her to make me see how her hold on life is riddled with falsehoods, and it is those lies that are killing her. She doesn't listen. She doesn't believe. there is no way I can tie her to a post and keep her from slipping away"

Kale touched his hand, "I think Wulder must feel that way at times.

Okay, Kale makes the point. This would be a good stopping point, but, no, Kale continues:

"He has always given us reason to draw near, always fed us truth through word and deed. Yet we, as his people, continue to harbor false expectations trading a glorious reality for a shabby imitation of truth"

This extra two sentances steal from the reader their own interpretation by spelling out for the reader exactly what they are supposed to learn. That is fine for a book of devotions or a Bible study, but fiction needs to be more subtle.

I have two other concerns about this book in terms of content. First, a major part of the plot centers on a likeable scoundrel named Holt who infiltrates this cult of "Followers," pretends to be one of them, and eventually, leads a rescue of some and the destruction of their village. While undercover spying and deception is a staple of secular fiction, I have serious concerns when it appears in Christian ficiton. After all, such a deception would, of necessity, require the spy to tell bald faced lies. I know it is for a good cause, but one can always find a "good cause" to sin. "I slept with him because I love him," "I embezzled money from our business because our family was facing bankruptcy," "We tortured those prisoners because we needed information," "I killed that doctor because he performed abortions."

Justification of deception troubles me even when used in a "good cause." It is way too easy for a young person to read this and take away the message that it is sometimes okay to lie, if your motives are pure.

A second concern is that near the end of the book, the cult of "Followers" who will not renounce their beliefs are arrested. Some did kidnap others and hold children captive, but to be arrested just for holding heretical views is troubling. At one time Christians were considered heretics and are still considered such in some countries. Being a Pentecostal Christian, I know that some other Christians consider some of our doctrines heretical, as some Pentecostals consider Catholicism. While God is perfect at judging doctrine, we not always are. Besides repression of heresy rarely works. It makes the heretics martyrs and strengthens the resolve of "the faithful" in persecution.

Putting these concerns aside however, I found the book an enjoyable read for anyone who is not looking for depth of character or complexity of plot. It's just a book to enjoy reading by the sea on a summer afternoon with your pitcher of ice tea by your side.

To read other reviews drop by one of the other reviewers on the July CSFF blog tour:

Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Beth Goddard
Mark Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Christopher Hopper
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Magma
Terri Main
Magma
Margaret
Shannon McNear
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Deena Peterson
Steve Rice
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams

Whatever Happened to Heroes?

2008-05-14T03:31:00.000-07:00

Maybe it is just the incipient onset of old age, but it seems our heroes are becoming less heroic all the time. I watch a lot of TV and sometimes I find it hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Police lie to suspects, torture them, play fast and loose with the law and are excused for it. I've even seen a number of media "heroes" commit cold blooded murder out of revenge.

Admittedly in the past, media heroes were often unrealistically perfect. Believable heroes do need to have their flaws, but it seems lately that the flaws dominate over the heroism. Yes, I believe that heroes need to be human, but they should also be a bit better than the rest of us. Or at least better than the villains.

In Dante's Purgatorio, the souls travel through Purgatory between "goads" and "pricks." On one side they can see the Saints in heaven so they can emulate their good works. On the other side they see those irrevocably damned to hell to be warned not to fall back on the road to redemption. This is, of course, allegory and it is doubtful even Dante believed this expressed accurate theology. However, the principle is sound. There should always be some sort examples of moral excellence to motivate us to good works as well as examples of moral depravity to keep us from falling.

Fiction provides us with this type of allegorical vehicle to this day. By seeing fictional heroes struggling with their moral dilemmas and eventually overcoming them, by seeing a fictional character make a moral choice in an impossible situation, by seeing a hero or heroine make an "impractical" but moral choice, the reader is "goaded" to do the same in the day to day moral and ethical battles we face. When my main character chooses to do what's right rather than choosing to do what's expedient, that makes it just a little easier for the business executive to make a hard choice between profits and morality, for the student to avert his or her eyes away from the other student's exam during a test, for the spouse to bite his or her tongue before saying the hurtful thing.

Fiction can not only entertain, but can enoble it's readers. But it can only do that if we create, not perfect, but heroic characters.

Of Theology and Writing

2008-05-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

(Note: I promised to post this a couple of weeks ago, but then got ill. So, I'm posting this now in conjunction with some musings I made concerning the theology in The Begotten.)

When I was in high school, like many creative types, I didn't fit in well, was bullied, face verbal and physical attacks from my "peers." Let's just put it this way, I get a real warm feeling in my heart when I see the prom scene from Carrie.

So, what does this have to do with theology and writing? Well, at one point in my life I considered writing a story for publication venting all that pent up anger from high school. In this story, the main character would return to her high school reunion and methodically punish each of her tormenters in increasingly clever and painful ways. However, while this exercise might have been personally cathartic, I could not reconcile being a Christian and writing a story which basically excuses revenge killings.

Now, some would say, it's just fiction. That is true, but when a sympathetic main character is shown as being justified sinning, then I as an author have crossed a theological line. I am in essence endorsing that sin. Now, does this mean that my main characters are all goody-two shoes who never sin. Of course not. However, if that person is a Christian, then that sin needs to be recognized as sin, addressed, and if not repented produce a deterioration in that person's spiritual walk.

This is relatively easy to do with "realistic" fiction. However, the problem of theology becomes more complex when dealing with speculative fiction. We often write about creatures, powers and activities not addressed in the Bible and which have no existence in real life. The reader grants us a willing suspension of disbelief in return for an entertaining story. So, where do we draw the line? How do we write about the fantastic or speculative and remain true to Christian theology.

I don't know that I have all the answers, but maybe some of the following thoughts can jump start the conversation.

The reality continuum

One of my concerns about The Begotten was that the story was set in a real time and place, dealt with human beings (not aliens, vampires, or dragons), and involved people making reference to real world matters including the Christian Bible. This is not an other worldly story. In other words this was set as a story that could happen without changing the reality that we know. We are not dealing with an alien theology based on a unique relationship God had with that species. Nor is it place in an alternate, fantasy universe. This is a story that could have happened. Of course, we know that the writer is not writing about real happenings, but when the setting is real, then the theology needs to closely match that of how God had dealt with humanity in this reality.

Justification of Sin

We live in a world where the only morality is practicality. Ends justifies the means dominates politics, the legal system, business, even sad to say, sometimes the ministry. This has crept into our popular culture. Books, movies and television shows have glamorized the "clever, passionate" hero willing to do anything to win. As long as the hero fights for the right side, it doesn't matter how he fights.

This even creeps into Christian fiction. A few years ago, I was editing a Christian e-zine. A woman sent me a mystery story set at a Christian woman's retreat. I forget the details of the story, but at one point the amateur sleuth wanted to get into a suspect's room, so she lied to a room clerk about losing her key to that room. When I suggested to the author that maybe this "Christian" woman should at least feel some guilt about being dishonest or find some other way to get into the room, she admitted that she had seen this done so many times in secular movies that she didn't even think about it.

In our fiction we should be careful that our main characters whom we set forth as heroes and role models do not easily sin. Note, that I didn't say "do not sin." If we are honest, we know that as long as we walk this earth we will fail God at some time. However, there is a difference between a character failing in his or her morality and justifying that failing as a "necessary" evil. Evil is not necessary. It may be expedient. It may be temporarily profitable, but never necessary. If a Christian hero begins to believe that in a story, then it must be clear to the reader that s/he is heading down a dangerous path.

Attitudes

From the days of Christ onward, pure theology has been about more than just sound doctrine and right living, it also had to do with attitude. The Law gave us a set of rules to follow. Grace sets a harder task to let right living flow from right attitudes. "Christian" heroes who seem to have no problem killing other sentient beings bother me greatly. Certainly there are times when a violent response may be required to protect life, but there should be no joy or "bloodlust" accompanying the killing. I had a Christian friend who was a police officer. He had to kill a man in the line of duty. He suffered greatly over that. He had nightmares for years. He didn't blow the smoke away from the gun barrel and quip something about "taking out the garbage."

I am reading a secular novel now about a man with special powers, but every time he uses them to create destruction he suffers headaches and sharp pains in his eyes. He can even go blind for awhile afterwards. He needs to stop the evil, but he suffers for it. I would like to see Christian heroes like that.

So, these are a few thoughts about theology and writing. I'm sure others may have their own ideas. Feel free to blog them below.

The Begotten: A "Gift" and a Challenge Part 2

2008-04-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

I must admit that when I heard this described as a Davinci Code for Christians that I was immediately concerned. It is one thing for a secular writer writing to a secular audience to use suspect "history" to create an engaging, but, let's face it, heretical story. However, a Christian writer writing for a Christian audience needs to be a bit more careful about the truth. Fortunately, most of those particular fears faded as I read the book.

Likewise, I was also fearful that the story would end up treating the gifts of the spirit like super-powers and the story would turn into a renaissance spiritual Legion of Superheroes. I loved those comics as a kid, but superpowers are controlled by the superhero. The operation of spiritual gifts must be controlled from on high. Fortunately, Bergren handled the exercise of the gifts mostly in a sensitive and reverent manner used only at the unction of the Holy Spirit of God.

So, the story was less problematic than I feared it would be. Nevertheless, I still had some concerns. Before I address those concerns, I feel I need to set forth my own background for the sake of full disclosure. I am a third generation Pentecostal. My grandparents on my mother's side were at Azusa Street and my grandparents on my father's side were at Hot Springs, Arkansas. These are two of the places where the modern Pentecostal movement was birthed. Of course, the operation of the Holy Spirit through individuals has been part of church history from the beginning. I have written extensively about the nature and operation of the Gifts of the Spirit as well as the Person and Character of the Holy Spirit, third person of the Holy Trinity.

I will try to keep denominational doctrine to a minimum in this discussion, but since this is a subject area largely ignored by denominations other than Pentecostal/Charismatic groups, that doctrinal bias (hopefully based on scripture and not just a blind following of church doctrine) will be present. I'm not apologizing, just putting my next few comments into perspective.

So, onward to my concerns.

The Problem of Assigning Authority to Non-Canonical Documents

One characteristic of many cults is what I've called the "Element of the Extra Book." Somehow the revelation of the Bible is insufficient and we need another revelation. Recently, we have seen this emerging in a revised interest in the Gnostic pseudo-gospels and epistles. There is always hidden in these type of discussions some sort of assumption that there is a conspiracy to keep these incredible revelations from Christians. They imply that Canon was decided upon by a group of men based pretty much on their own judgment of what they liked and disliked, and that they more or less capriciously made these decisions.

This view is a false view. For the most part, the canon was established based on what was already recognized as inspired and authentic by the church fathers for centuries.

for well over a century the books we find in our New Testament had often been copied together and distributed in a form not unlike the canonical New Testament of later years. The Chester Beatty Papyri contains most of the New Testament and dates to about 200 A.D. at least 100 years before the Canon was settled by the Church Councils and Synods of the Fifth Century.

As early as 150 A.D. the four gospels or “traditions” as they were often called were being distributed together. Likewise, by the middle of the Second Century, the Pauline epistles were collected and distributed as a single volume.

The Canon of scripture then was not a matter in which a group of men sat around and decided what books were and were not good ones to have in the canon. It was a recognition of what has already been accepted as inspired and authoritative.

In The Begotten a document of undetermined authorship and mysterious origin is elevated to near equality with the Holy Canon. In one instance, (see below) it is even given priority over the Word. While Bergren is careful to indicate that the document does not contradict scripture, it is nonetheless treated as scripture. Given the current world view that questions the authority of scripture even in many churches, I find it disturbing that the heroes in a Christian novel seem to need another mystical document other than the Bible to guide their actions.

The Problem of Exclusivity

While I am sure that Bergren did not intend to create a spiritual elite in her story, by default that happened. The use of the term The Gifted, by it's nature implies that the other Christians do not have gifts. However, a careful reading of the Canonical I Corinthians 12, which is our primary source of information about the Gifts of the Spirit discussed in this book, assumes that all parts of the body of Christ are "gifted" in some way. The gifts are discussed in the context of the body and the point of the chapter is not so much to talk about spiritual gifts but to correct a tendency the Corinthians apparently had of considering some gifts more important than the others and consequently considering some members of the body more important than others.

"The Gifted" are almost treated in this book like "The Charmed Ones" from the now defunct WB TV series. They are reluctantly set apart for great things, and while fallible human beings, they are still just a little bit better in many ways than everyone else. Or at least set apart form them. Perhaps it is more like an exclusive club. How many times in the book did someone say, "Are they one of us?" As opposed to what? One of "them," those other people out there who are not "gifted" like us? Again, I doubt that was intended, but unintended consequences are consequences nonetheless.

Building a heirarchy of blessing among believers is a dangerous thing. As a Pentecostal teacher, one of the things I have had to struggle with is keeping my students from feeling superior to those who do not share our belief that the operation of the gifts of the spirit did not cease with the end of the Apostolic era and the close of canon. Ranging from an arrogant assumption that we were spiritually stronger and more effective than our counterparts in non-Charismatic churches to a patronizing pitying of those who do not 'have the light' on the subject we have often been guilty of acting superior to others.

One may try to excuse this by pointing to years of persecution, mocking, and being accused of being in league with the devil by some parts of Christendom. But, there is no excuse, even that of persecution, that justifies spiritual pride. That was the sin of the Pharisees.

But one need not feel superior to others to shut them out or adopt an us verses them attitude. Certainly, we do not see overt spiritual pride in this book, but we see a definite suspicion of those outside the club leading even to a reticence to glorify God in public for these gifts. Certainly, the fear of torture and death is a deterant, yet, the early church faced the same threats and preached, healed and worked miracles on the street corner.

The Problem of Tongues

One obvious bias found in this book is a bias against the Gift of Tongues. Bergren does not deny it as a gift from God, but it is definitely treated as a second class gift. Indeed, when a woman comes to them speaking in tongues (actually praying in tongues to be accurate) she is immediately suspect, and generally discounted since the non-Canonical letter to the Corinthians they are following does not mention it. The fact that the Canonical epistle does as an equal to healing and miracles is discounted in light of the "suppressed" document.

In this case, the story defers to this document as opposed to the recognized general revelation of scripture. Now, I know this is fiction, but when the good guys discount scripture for an apocryphal document that is hardly in keeping with sound doctrine. And someone in the story should have pointed that out. However, the author's bias against tongues was too strong. How do we know this? Consider the following. First, the characters without correction defer to the seven gifts of the apocryphal document over the canonical epistle. Secondly, the one in the book with the gift of tongues is unstable, kept on the fringes of the company and eventually betrays them. This reinforces the image of people who speak in tongues as driven by emotion without ability to reason. Finally, in her study guide at the end of the book, Bergren makes it clear that she considers tongues to be of less importance than the other gifts by taking a couple of Pauline statements out of their context.

Now, someone can make the case (erroneously I believe) that the gifts stopped operating at the end of the apostolic era rejecting all of the gifts. However, there is no Biblical justification for accepting some of the gifts and excluding two because they are - well a tad embarrassing. Hey, on the Day of Pentecost, the people heard the disciples speaking in tongues and thought they were drunk. Yet, I might point out that the first gifts to be expressed in the apostolic era were the verbal ones - Tongues and Prophecy. Perhaps this is because the last thing most of us are willing to give up is what we say. Paul says that the tongue is like the bit in the horses mouth. If God can control the tongue he has control of the rest of us. That doesn't make tongues more important. It just explains why so many of us would like to blot it out of the panoply of gifts.

So, these are a few of the theological concerns I have. I still find the book well written and I would probably want to read more in the series. However, in my role as a consumer advocate, I have to warn you that some parts of the theology are shaky and just remember it's a story, only a story, and your theology needs to come from the Word of God found only in the Holy Bible.

So, what is the intersection of theology and fiction writing? When do extra-Biblical issues play a legitimate role in writing? How do we bring this together? I'm not sure I have all the answers, but maybe we need to raise the questions. Let's talk about that tomorrow. Meanwhile see what others are saying about The Begotten.

Sally Apokedak
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Jackie Castle
Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Todd Michael Greene
Jill Hart
Michael Heald
Christopher Hopper
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Terri Main
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Melissa Meeks
Pamela Morrisson
John W. Otte
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Stuart Stockton
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
Karina Fabian

The Begotten: A "Gift" and a Challenge

2008-04-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

The Begotten by Lisa Bergren presented me with both a gift and a challenge. The gift was an interesting, enjoyable story with strong characters and well paced action. The challenge was that of theology and speculative historical fiction. In this essay, I will treat the literary aspects of the book. Tomorrow I will explore the theological ones.

This week I have been reading The Begotten along with The Order War, a secular fantasy novel by L.E. Modesitt. I hate to say it, but most of the time when I'm reading a Christian novel at the same time as a secular one, the Christian one does not fair well in comparison. This time I was happily surprised that Bergren held her own against Modesitt. She has done a remarkable job of transporting us back to the 14th Century and drawing a picture of a woman discovering and coming to terms with not only being "Gifted" with the gift of healing, but being the Nexis of a gathering of other "gifted" ones preparing for a spiritual battle against evil forces.

Bergren's characters are well drawn individuals coping with being called to a mission by God which will put them in opposition not only to an evil force, but also the religious establishment, and in the early Renaissance being at odds with the church didn't mean getting a letter of reprimand from your pastor, it meant being tied to a stake and burned in the public square. I was somewhat disturbed by the tacit approval of the Inquisition when applied to heretics instead of attempting to convert then and counter their false doctrine with the truth, but I guess Bergren was trying to be true to the mood of the time. We will talk more about these issues tomorrow.

I find the story to proceed at a reasonable pace. However, those who like a fast-paced novel may find this one a bit slow. If you are looking for men at arms crossing swords on every page or wizards blazing fire across each chapter, they is not the book for you. For me, this is refreshing. Too many of these books spend so much time keeping the "action" going that we don't have time to get to know and care about the characters.

I must say that there are times when Bergren depends too heavily on narration and inner monologue to convey background information and some of Lady Daria's (the main character) conversations with her priest seem more like sermons in disguise.

Nevertheless, on balance, this has been an enjoyable read. However, it has raised some theological questions and a few impacting the philosophy of Christian writing. I will be touching on those tomorrow. In the mean time read what others are saying about this book.

Sally Apokedak
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Jackie Castle
Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Todd Michael Greene
Jill Hart
Michael Heald
Christopher Hopper
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Terri Main
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Melissa Meeks
Pamela Morrisson
John W. Otte
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Stuart Stockton
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
Karina Fabian

CSFF Blog Tour: A time for Self-Examination

2007-12-17T09:27:00.000-08:00

We are being visited this week by a variety of bloggers. We will receive reviews of the site. Am I apprehensive? Of course, we have been online barely a year with only two issues out. There are still many "bugs" in the system. I look forward to the honest reviewers to point out areas for improvement as well as any praises.

So, I'm going to try to step back a bit and try to create an objective review. Looking at some of the things that we are doing well and the other things that can use improvement along with some direction for the future.

I think the high point of our site are the stories. I have been blessed by receiving many good solid stories which really shine. I've also received some enjoyable poetry. People have kept me up with speculative fiction news, but I have not been that diligent in posting it in a timely manner. I like our banner, which was donated by Tony Qwade.

A second area of strength, which is just being developed, is the creation of a community. For over a year WJ has hosted a speculative fiction chat in Second Life, a virtual world. We are taking a hiatus during the winter but will be back in full force in March.

Now for the improvement areas.

Editing

One of the problems with running a one-person shop is that you don't have other people catching the things you miss. A definite weakness of this site is proofreading. When I go back and look at some of the pages, I'm always pulling them up and correcting something that I missed.

Graphics

One thing about the old pulp science-fiction publications that made them so enjoyable was the art. Sometimes garish, sometimes hokey, these pictures augmented the reading. Not being a graphic artist myself, I have not done as much with the visual layout of the site. That is definitely something that needs attention.

Basic Professionalism

I generally pride myself on professionalism, but I must admit that I haven't always been that strong in doing simple things like getting an issue out on time. That must definitely be addressed in the future.

Most of these are results of what my pastor calls the "Lone Ranger Syndrome." I have been running this on my own for about a year now. This is not because there aren't people willing to help, but because I felt I needed to maintain my own control. Perhaps in the beginning, that is valid. It takes awhile for any publication to develop its own vision and voice. However, when you try to do everything by yourself, somethings inevitably suffer.

In the new year I will be engaging help from various sources. I'll be contacting artists to dress up the look of the site. I'll be getting help with proof reading and editing. I have someone who will help me with the behind the scenes business side of this.

I will be taking the month of January to pray and examine Wayfarers Journal from top to bottom correcting what I can for now, but also shaping some plans for the future.

One plan I have right now is to move away from the "magazine" model of a story site. This model is one which has "issues" coming out at a set interval. One of the advantages of the web is that you can update a site at any time. We get enough material to be adding some new material every month, but not enough to create a whole new issue. Simply updating the site when something new and interesting comes in would create a dynamically changing destination on the web. It would also shorten the time for writers between acceptance and publication of their work.

So, folks keep checking back. "Times they are a'changing" here at Wayfarers Journal. And don't forget to visit the other sites on this tour.

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Michael Heald
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

Flashpoint: Action Heroes without a License to Kill

2007-10-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

One of the things I appreciate about "Flashpoint" is the use of non-lethal defensive technology by the underground church. From tazer gloves to quick acting tranquilizer rounds the muscle arm of The Body fights the good fight without trying to kill people.

In one of the early scenes of the book the Kids see one of the warriors lay low a a gang of "Nero's" with guns blazing. They are horrified and don't want to be a part of that type of group until they learn that the rounds were tranquilizer rounds intended to stop but not kill or permanently harm the others.

This runs counter to the way the world at large (and even sad to say many Christians) view defending oneself. Lethal weapons are often the first choice. I don't have any numbers, but I'm sure the amount of money spent each year developing non-lethal weapons by the worlds governments is but a small fraction of that spent developing non-lethal ones.

Certainly, some progress has been made. Many of Frank's gadgets are based on current technology. Tazers have been around for years. Tranquilizer darts have been used on animals, but they have so far been too slow-working to immobilize a criminal before they can do harm. However, one wonders how much time and money has actually been spent trying to develop such a drug.

Ironically, some people actually view with suspicion the use of non-lethal technology. There is a thread over at the National Novel Writing Month science fiction forum about non-lethal weapons, but it is assumed that such weapons would be developed not by a humane government trying to control violence without giving into it, but by a repressive government trying to control a workforce of unwilling workers without killing them. When I point out that repressive governments usually resort to just killing a few people in front of everyone else to bring them into line and not worry about subtilties of non-lethal weapons, I get convoluted arguments about why they would find them more useful than a free society.

Perhaps it is a consequence of the fall that we tend to be violent by nature. Yet, as Christians we are called to transcend our nature and embrace the nature of Christ. Okay, I can hear the leaves of the Bibles flipping back to all those battles in the Old Testament. But folks, keep flipping. We don't live under the Old Covenant. That doesn't mean that it isn't useful for us. Paul said it is like a tutor/nanny/babysitter who gets us ready to actually go to school. However, our model for life is Jesus and not Joshua.

When creating Christian heroes, we need to consider how one acts virtuously under the worst conditions. Recently, I've heard disturbing arguments in favor of the use of torture even by human rights advocates which claim, in essence, that in extreme situations, ethics are no longer relevant. The only ethic is that of success. But, ethics and morality are all about the extreme situations. When things are going well, it is easy to act virtuously. It's when things do get extreme that we need our ethical boundaries, when we need our morality to stop us from crossing the line into the realms of evil using the justification that the ends justify the means.

Such is the spirit of our age. As writers, we don't need to transmit that message by creating "holy" but essentially amoral heroes willing to do anything to win the day.

There is also one other disturbing trend in literature and the popular culture (even among some Christian writers). It's a tendency to write off as irredeemable our villains. I'm not sure, with the exception of a demon or the devil himself, that we have the luxury of creating villains without hope of redemption. I'm not saying that they will be redeemed. I rage about the simplistic everyone-gets-saved-in-the-end stories which dominated Christian literature for so long. However, at some level the lost child of God, the prodigal rebelling against his father, the Absolom warring against David, must be seen in even the most vile villain. Remember, most of the New Testament was written by just such a villain, a zealot, an irredeemable murderer, who persecuted the church and who had a rather amazing experience on the Damascus Road.

I wonder what might have happened to Christendom, if some zealous Christian decided to save the church by killing the dreaded Saul of Tarsus.

Sometimes the worst thing you can do is kill your enemy.

Learn more about Flashpoint and Frank Creed at his website or at the Books of the Underground Website

You can order a signed copy of Flashpoint by clicking here or visit Amazon.com

Read what other reviewers are saying this week about Flashpoint on the following blogs:

Fantasy Thyme
jamessomers.blogspot.com
Write and Whine
Hoshi to Sakura
Wayfarer's Journal
BlogCritics Interview
Daniel I Weaver
Disturbing the Universe
Grace Bridges
Queen of Convolution
Virtual Tour de 'Net
Christian Fiction Review Blog
Yellow30 Sci-Fi: Review
Yellow30 Sci-Fi: Interview
Back to the Mountains
MaryLu Tyndall
Cathi's Chatter

Frank Creed: Living Life at the Flashpoint

2007-10-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Those of you who read this blog know that I never run Q&A Interviews. There's a good reason for this. Generally speaking, I need to cut out a lot that is either repetitious or just plain boring. However, poring over the transcript of Frank's interview, I was having a hard time finding something to cut. So, I'm giving you this interview in its entirety. (Note: You can read Donna Sundblad's review of Flashpoint in the Essays Section of Wayfarers Journal)

Q: Tell a little bit of basic biographical background such as age,
family/school/work background, anything interesting about yourself
outside of writing.

A: The boring stuff. Born in 1966. Some of the cooler stuff with which He
shaped my life:
* 1984-- Achieved the rank of Eagle Scout by the BSA.
* 1984-1985-- Lived in Israel for more than ten months as an AFS
foreign exchange student, visited Egypt for a week.
* 1993-- I'd been a reader of fantasy and science fiction novels my
whole life, but the works of Theologian Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer
launched my reading list into theology, philosophy and history of
western civilization.
* 1993-- Only months later, my sister joined a Grotto of Anton LaVey’s
Church of Satan. Her soul at stake, I entered into a written debate
with her Satanic High Priest. I volunteered an Apologetic article to
the Grotto's desktop published magazine, Diabolic Creation, and
exchanged letters with CoS readers. I've debated a variety of world
views since, and have never found a credible counter to the
Cosmological or Axiological arguments for the existence of God. This
goes on the cool list, because (and I still tear-up at the thought),
after seventeen years of prayer, in January of 07, my sister accepted
Christ.
* 2004-- Married a schoolteacher from the Vancouver burbs. She moved
here to Indiana and started her own editing business, which grew into
an independent publishing house, http://www.thewriterscafe.com/ Mixed
blessing to be sleeping with your publisher--gives "fear of rejection"
a whole new meaning, I tell ya!

My life's also been tempered by fire--tough times and tragedies
necessary to torture a serious writer's soul as well. I dropped out of
college in my first year to elope, worked no job that paid more than
$8.50/hour until 1995. I was divorced by twenty-two, and lived as a
hedonist until I read Schaeffer in my mid-twenties. I've faced down a
fallen-angel who entered our home after a stepdaughter brought in a
book on witchcraft and tried to cast a spell.

Susan Kirkland (Light at the Edge of Darkness, Higher Honor), and I had
just e-mailed about this--when we look back at our sojourns, it's so
clear how he's shaped us to be exactly who and where we are.

Q: Tell a bit about your writing in general such as awards, previous publications, etc.

A: When I was seven and living in Lombard Illinois, my divorced, working
mom sent me to a creative writing program at this really-cool-humongous
building fulla books: the Helen Plum Memorial Library. Since then, I
loved reading and dreamt of fiction, but never acted on it until High
School. There, I benefitted from the encouragement of a wonderful
teacher, Mrs. Marsha Stewart of Kaneland High School, who entered my
first short-story victory in the U.W. Whitewater Literary conference.
Hundreds of students from three or four states competed and attended
lectures on fiction. At the end of the day mine won Best Short Story--I
was floored.

Between high school and the spring of 1998, most of my fiction
energies were spent creating worlds and characters in role-playing
games. My fiction meandered and jammed. Then on May ninth of 98, a
high-speed head-on collision nearly broke me in half and induced a
severe closed-head injury. That's code for: I've got a real thick
skull. After two weeks, it was the doctors opinion that even with
extended therapy, I'd only recover sixty percent of my mental capacity.

Then my pastor visited.

We enjoyed my first lucid conversation, prayed His will be done, and I
went to sleep. The next morning, I awoke mentally healed. There are a
few lingering symptoms common to closed head-injury victims, but that's
it. A fake hip and pelvis likely dooms me to a wheelchair by age fifty,
so I've got about eleven more years on my vocational-odometer as an
Subaru of Indiana Automotive auto-worker.

We ask ourselves why God drops disasters into our lives. I'm
self-educated beyond 12th grade, and now needed to replace my
blue-collar income and benefits.

Then He turned on my fiction tap. Post-accident, stories flowed. I
finished a Fantasy novella and Flashpoint, but still had to "learn the
craft", and get the polish on.

In June of 06 Lest Ye be Judged was published in Tales for the Thrifty
Barbarian: An Anthology of High Fantasy. Finally published, wahoo!

January of 07, found me jumpin on the bed, as Flashpoint won the 2006
"Elfie" for Best Sci-Fi Novel at elfwood.com. Elfwood's the world's
largest SECULAR fantasy and sc-fi art site, boasting over 10,000
members--not a friendly readership for overt Christian fiction.
In April of 07, Miracle Micro, ChairMan, and True Freedom were
published in Light at the Edge of Darkness. These three short stories
share the same cyberpunk setting as Flashpoint: Book One of the
Underground, June 07.

Flashpoint: the Role Playing Game, created by Mike Roop, is based on
my cyberpunk setting and characters, and is scheduled for November of
07.

Last year I founded the Lost Genre Guild for the promotion of
Christian and Biblical speculative fiction: sci-fi, fantasy and
spiritual thrillers. I'm thrilled by our early success--we're networked
with http://csffblogtour.com/ where one may sign-up for the
cutting-edge Latest in Spec newsletter, and http://WhereTheMapEnds.com/

Q: In 25 words or less what is Flashpoint about?

A: The dreaded "elevator pitch" *grumble grumble*:

2036: global government. The One State's only threat? Fundementaliast terrorism. A church bust in the Chicago-Metroplex, sparks Flashpoint in the Underground.

Q: Tell us a little bit about the main characters in the book.

A: Twenty year-old Dave and sixteen year-old Jen Williams are the only two
who evade capture when their home-church is raided by peacekeepers. The
pair are torn from suburban comfort and must integrate into a
muscle-cell: a team of saints working in the underground Body of
Christ. They must use their talents in an attempt to track and free all
their captured neighbors from One-State "Neros", the slang-term for
anti-Christians. Forced into spiritual growth, it comes down to a
confrontation with the antagonist that Calamity nicknames, Nasty Nero,
who ironically wants Calamity Kid to call him "Jesus" (his antagonist
role in the end-times unholy trinity).

Q: You describe this as a "cyberpunk" novel. That sounds sort of grungy like a computer with a safety pin through it's hard drive. How would you define the term?

A: Um . . . it's not a computer with a safety pin through it's hard drive?
YOUGOTTABEKIDDINME!

Cyberpunk's a sci-fi sub-genre set (say that ten times fast) in a near
future post-industrial dystopia (opposite of utopia), and deals with
the affect of technology on humanity. It's anti-religious, usually
postmodern in worldview, so to write Biblical cyberpunk is *almost*
genre breaking. Two months ago I discovered that Jefferson Scott beat
me to it with Virtually Eliminated, Terminal Logic, and Fatal Defect. I
can't wait to find the time to read these titles.

Q: What was the genesis of this novel, if you have one? Was there an ah-ha moment when you came up with the premise?

Way back in high school, it bothered-me when reporters referred to Muslim fundamentalist terrorists, merely as "fundamentalist terrorists". My sister and I were both "churched", and grew up with the idea that Scripture's fundamentally true. After reading Lindsey's Late Great Planet Earth, I began making notes on my cyberpunk setting.

Cyberpunk's the perfect genre for eschatology. Flashpoint's Pre-Millennial, but I'm very open about the Second Coming. Christ fulfilled over three hundred prophecies, yet most of His contemporary Jews missed the Messiah right in front of them.

Q: Were any of your characters modeled on anyone in particular?

A: Nasty Nero is your stereotypical Church of Satan anti-Christian zealot.

A group of teens in a sanitarium were the main characters in One of the
Nightmare On Elm Street films. One of them was a cartoonist. When
Freddy Kreuger attacked the dreaming lad, said lad turned into his
cartoon character--a duster wearin' gunslinger with twin automatic
pistols. That was where Calamity Kid's look originated. I wonder if the
Wachowski brothers had the same inspiration for Neo. My favorite film
to this date is The Matrix, but I cringed as I watched it, cause I knew
Flashpoint would be seen as a Christian copy. Two reviews and one
reviewer have already described it as such. Not a bad film with which
to be associated, but all originality went out the window. *sniffle*
His will be done.

Q: Which character do you personally identify with, if any? Why?

A: Nearly all of them are aspects of or are modeled upon me at various
points of my spiritual sojourn. They say write what you know . . .

Q: You say you write Biblical Speculative Fiction. Could you define that for us?

There's been debate by Christian writers for years about whether we ought to be writing Chronicles-of-Narnia-subtlety, or Space-Trilogy-overt tales. The Editor In Chief has given us all a different job in the novelist Body of Christ, and there's no right answer. Soooo, I call The subtle or symbolic Christian spec-fic, and the overt, Biblical spec-fic. The most complete Bookstore I've ever found for both is located at:

http://www.WhereTheMapEnds.com/Booklist/booklist_pages/booklist_links.htm

This storefront is Jeff Gerke's AKA, novelist Jefferson Scott's effort.
I guess it's not surprising to find Biblical cyberpunk authors
promoting our lost genre on the Web with high-tech viral marketing.

Q: Some Christians would say that "Biblical Speculative Fiction" is a contradiction in terms. Sci-fi, horror, fantasy and such types of stories they say are inherently demonic. How would you respond to that?

A. Remember when Jesus freaks dragged Christian music into the Rock genre in the 1970s? Believers tend to shun things new to our isolationist sub-culture. It's good to honestly examine anything we do, but it requires less energy to plug one's ears and hum loudly.

Here's the trickiest argument I've seen against Biblical spec-fic:

Jesus parables were set in the real world. Spec-fic is, by definition, is not. Therefore, while some fiction may be virtuous, spec-fic is not. That does not logically follow: you can't prove a egative.

When the Lost Genre Guild blog went up, this was our very first topic. No reason to repeat what's been dissected. For detailed thoughts for and against Biblical spec-fic, start at the bottom of this page and work up:

Lost Genre Guild Blog

Q: What is the biggest challenge that you, as a Christian and a writer of speculative fiction faces in your writing other than finding > acceptance in the "mainstream" Christian publishing world?

A: Finding the fans. I'm forty years old, a lifelong genre fan, and a
Christian. A year ago I could have counted the number of authors listed
in Jeff's bookstore on one hand. I gave-up trying to find spec-fic in
Christian bookstores the year before Steven Lawhead's Empyrion was
published. I scanned shelves for a couple more years when Peretti's
Darkness books came out, and gave up again. IMHO, there are tons of
Christian fans that don't even know we're alive, which was why I formed
the Lost Genre Guild. We're wracking our brains and using the Web to
get the word out--pun intended.

Q: What do you see as the future for Biblical speculative fiction?

A: In my lifetime, Peretti was the only really big Biblical spec-fic
novelist since Lewis'. The hopes of publication has been grim for a
long time. The Lord of the Rings and Left Behind films seem to have
cracked the Dam, and I'm very hopeful. As Jeff's booklist proves,
publishers are more willing to gamble lately. The Jan Dennis Agency
represents Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Jerry Jenkins, Stephen Lawhead,
Robert Liparulo, Eric Wilson, T. L. Hines, Donita Paul, and James
Beauseigner. This man's doing something right, you'd do better to ask
him! Here's an interview with Jan:

Q: Writing an action-oriented book with Christian characters can't be easy After all, they can't just be James Bond with a cross, joking about killing over the corpses of the "bad guys." Still, you have to keep the storyline moving and that may involve some violent elements. How do you as an author write strong action scenes which are still Christian in nature?

A: This goes to motivation. Had I understood the Bible's thunderous answers as a kid, I'd have not lived as a hedonist until my mid-twenties. Francis Schaeffer's The God Who is There, He is There and He is not Silent, and How Shall we Then Live, to use his own phrase, tore my roof off. Using classical reasoning, he laid bare the foundations of meaning, but this wisdom was stuck in big heavy words. I always knew I wanted to write, but now I knew why: to clearly illustrate Biblical answers to the world's great philosophical questions with modern entertaining fiction.

Entertainment is fiction's first job. Even Lewis' Space Trilogy was a little too subtle for what I
had in mind, and his prose too high. My eye landed on action-packed page-turning realistic pulp.

I got into the habit of keeping spec-fic notes from Role Playing Games, so my sci-fi and fantasy gaming folder transformed into two separate three-ring notebooks with organizer tabs. I grew up with movies, and tend to be very visual. In one of my tabs I listed "archetypes". For action pacing, I listed Raiders of the Lost Ark and Die Hard. For strong characters I listed Hannibal Lechter, and Doc Holiday. Then I set about making 1) God pleasing, 2) fast-paced, 3) character driven fiction, 4) in modern English.

One of the slogans at the Subaru plant is "Quality's built in, not added on." You have to start with the intent of glorifying God--everything else conforms to that. We live in a real and fallen
world, but Biblical fiction must conform. The beauty of cyberpunk is that one can use technology, like non-lethal tranquilizer rounds, tazer net-guns, and chipped sunglasses to push the envelope.

Q: If you could say anything you want to our readers, what would that be?

A: Do what He made you to do. Have the faith to live at the intersection of your given talents and passions, and do all things to His glory.

Then again, I say that to everybody

Learn more about Flashpoint and Frank Creed at his website or at the Books of the Underground Website

You can order a signed copy of Flashpoint by clicking here or visit Amazon.com

Read what other reviewers are saying this week about Flashpoint on the following blogs:

Fantasy Thyme
jamessomers.blogspot.com
Write and Whine
Hoshi to Sakura
Wayfarer's Journal
BlogCritics Interview
Daniel I Weaver
Disturbing the Universe
Grace Bridges
Queen of Convolution
Virtual Tour de 'Net
Christian Fiction Review Blog
Yellow30 Sci-Fi: Review
Yellow30 Sci-Fi: Interview
Back to the Mountains
MaryLu Tyndall
Cathi's Chatter

Terri Marathon's Town Meeting Goes Weekly!

2007-10-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

For nearly a year, a few of us have been meeting in second life to discuss spirituality in speculative fiction on a monthly basis. Now, we are going to a weekly schedule. We will still be meeting at 7 p.m. (Pacific, U.S.) at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sunshine%20Paradise/146/145/23 .

Hope to see you there tomorrow!

New Location in Second Life for Spec Fiction Chat

2007-10-04T02:18:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday is our monthly chat in Second Life. Up till this time we have been meeting in my Chalet on a small lot. It's a pleasant little place, but we have some bigger plans. Our hope is to develop a speculative fiction center in Second Life. So, we acquired a larger location in wonderful neighborhood. I invite you to visit anytime. If you are a Second Lifer, you can use this SLurl to teleport directly to the new place:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sunshine%20Paradise/146/145/23

If you are not a Second Lifer, you can join for free at Second Life. Once you download the software and log in the first time to customize your avatar, simply paste that URL in your web browser then click teleport on the page it brings up. That will launch the software and take you directly to my place.

We have a lot more room for bigger meetings and eventually a "library" of links to spec fiction web sites and author sites.

Should be fun.

Book Launch Party in Second Life

2007-09-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

Flashpoint by Frank Creed launches September 29. The book is published by The Writers' Cafe Press. Flashpoint is a Christian Cyber-punk novel and is Book One of the Underground series. You can read Donna Sundblad's review of Flashpoint here.

We will be helping with the book launch party in Second Life, a virtual world which is attracting a lot of attention. You will need to sign up at Second Life and download the software.

Once you download and install the free software, log in and design your avatar. Then on September 29 at 7 p.m. Second Life Time (Pacific Time) you can "teleport" directly to the Writing and Performance Center in Second Life by pasting this URL into your web browser:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%204/238/83/25

New Issue of Wayfarers Journal Online Now!

2007-09-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you only receive these blog posts through the RSS feed, if so, you may not know that Wayfarers Journal is an ezine of spirituality based science fiction. We just updated the site with all new stories and poems. So, if you have not done so already, drop by today at http://www.wayfarersjournal.com

Thanks.

The Return: "I don't like Science Fiction"

2007-09-19T14:51:00.001-07:00

As I have been reading reviews of The Return I noticed a theme emerging. A lot of people said, "I don't like science-fiction, but I like The Return." I have to admit that Austin Boyd has done a remarkable job of spinning a good story of suspenseful intrigue set against the background of such "science fiction" elements as cloning and space exploration. However, I think the comments have as much to do with the conception many people have of science fiction.

Most people today think of science fiction only in terms of space opera. By that I mean stories like those found in Star Wars and Star Trek (Although Roddenberry did a good job of elevating the series' above that of pure space opera.) Personally, I enjoy a good rousing space opera, but that's not all there is to science fiction.

Print science fiction, more than that of cinema or television, tends to transcend the action-adventure stereotype of the genre. Boyd's book is in that tradition. It is more thoughtful than the shoot-em-up stories that have come to dominate the genre. In this regard he is preserving the traditions of classic authors such as Assimov, Clarke, Heinlein, and Bradbury.

Kudos to Austin Boyd for writing a story with cross-over potential.

The Return: Down to Earth Science Fiction

2007-09-19T12:20:00.001-07:00

The Return by Austin Boyd draws you into an exciting, adventurous world of intrigue without sacrificing believability. Reminiscent of some of the better writings of Arthur C. Clarke, Boyd keeps the science fiction rooted in the constraints of known science. Set only a few years in the future, the story revolves around John Wells. Wells, who believes his family has been killed, leads a mission to Mars, only to discover that they were not alone on the Red Planet. The "Martians" they discover are members of a secret colony planted on Mars by a wealthy industrialist. The colonists are followers of a charismatic cult leader, Malcolm Raines, who plans on saving the earth by cloning perfect individuals. The colony lives in near ideal (if you can call living on a lifeless planet in a tin can ideal) circumstances tempting the NASA team to simply join up and remain on Mars.

As I said in my previous post, if you like The X-Files, you'll find this an intriguing read. You have it all: intrigue, suspense, cults, cloning, conspiracies. This is intelligent science-fiction. If you are looking for action-adventure, firefights in every chapter or burly space jockeys punching it out, look elsewhere. This book challenges you to think.

The strength of the book lies in its roots in the real world. Boyd's experience as a spacecraft engineer brings authenticity to the science which lays the foundation for science fiction. The spacecraft and Martian habitats described do not depend on some sort of imaginary future technology. They could be built today. This gives the story a sense of immediacy often lost in the more Whiz-bang styles of science fiction.

Even his treatment of cloning, which is frequently distorted by science fiction authors, avoids the hysterical or the fantastical. He doesn't treat the clone as some evil, soulless entity, but rather as sympathetic victims of a religious fanatic.

The plot is intricate with frequent shifts of focus from Mars to Slovenia to Washington D.C. This can be confusing if you don't read carefully. It didn't bother me, but a casual reader might become confused. This is a book which requires the reader to be engaged throughout the book to keep track of the storyline. Personally, I like that. However, if you prefer to let a story flow over you, without engaging with the story yourself, this might not be the book for you.

The main weakness I saw was the lack of depth in many of the characters. The characters generally seemed to be vehicles for the story to be told. In other words, there was this great plot and you need to populate the plot with the people. That's how it felt when reading. We don't get a feel for the motivations of the individuals we just see what they do. The realism of the plot and setting does not always extend to the characters. For instance, conversions of attitude are often much swifter and quickly made than in real life. When a revelation shaking the underlying foundation of the followers of The Father Race on Mars is revealed, they tend to accept it repentantly without much trouble. Even if one is a willing participant in a "holy hoax" they will usually continue to defend it, if they are true believers. Here are several people who have committed themselves to the extent of exiling themselves from the Earth as part of a religious belief. It is unlikely that one revelation would undo that belief. They would probably even defend the hoax on the basis of serving the greater good, as Jerry Falwell did when caught spreading untrue rumors about President Jimmy Carter. We are very good at excusing bad behavior in the pursuit of a good cause.

Even given the lack of depth in the characters, this is a good story and a worthwhile read.

You can also read other reviews and comments from these blog tour participants:

Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Merrie Destefano or Alien Dream
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Rachel Marks
Karen McSpadden
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

The Return: Concerning Aliens and Assumptions

2007-09-18T11:48:00.001-07:00

If you were a fan of The X-Files, you should like The Return
by Austin Boyd with its conspiracies, clones and cults. I'm still finishing the book today, so I will post a review of the work tomorrow. However, I would like to use this column to address a question of interest to Christian Science Fiction writers and readers. That question is: "What about Aliens?" In Boyd's novel the assumption is that the Biblical answer is that they do not exist. The only "aliens" that are seen are fake ones and, unlike the venerable X-Files assumption the government is hiding the evidence that aliens do NOT exist. I find that to be a nice twist on the classic conspiracy theory. One Christian in the book is told to (and this is a paraphrase) "Take your nose out of your Bible" and realize that aliens do exist.

However, is that really the Biblical answer? Honestly, to argue that Biblical Christianity requires non-belief in extraterrestrial life is not justified. Having said that, though, arguing for extraterrestrial life based on scripture alone is equally unjustified. Personally, I feel (compared to having absolute knowledge) that extraterrestrial life is likely. Considering that God populated his own universe with angels, seraphim and cherubim along with creatures so strange that the prophets and the beloved apostle struggled to even describe them coupled with the fact that he put thousands of diverse species of both plant and animal on earth, that is unlikely he left the millions of planets circling billions of stars as dead rocks. However, I would not claim Biblical imprimatur on that statement. I would be presuming to know the nature of God to say with certainty that the Biblical answer is that God created life elsewhere.

Obviously, our stories are fictional and we create an imaginary truth when we write. We don't need to know that there are aliens to use them in our stories. Neither do we need to know that there are NOT aliens to posit that in a story. Indeed, many classic science-fiction writers including luminaries such as Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke wrote novels in which the only sentient beings in the universe were humans. But they also wrote stories including aliens. That's fine. It's fiction. It's make believe. It's a story. The assumptions don't matter when they are merely assumptions brought in from the "realities" of the imaginary world the author creates. However, when those assumptions are presented as being Biblical
something significant happens, particularly when the story is intended for a Christian audience. The author then says, "This is not just the reality of my story, but this is the reality of the world outside my story, and you should believe it because it comes from the Word of God. Any other belief is wrong and possibly heretical." That may not be the intent of the author, but it is certainly the message that comes through.

Many Christian theologians throughout the years have admitted of the possibilities of extraterrestrial intelligence. One of the most prominent was C.S. Lewis. In his essay, "Religion and Rocketry" written in 1958 (from The World's Last Night and other Essays) he points to the hypocrisy of the critics of Christianity. At a time when they generally denied any assumption of life in the universe outside our own planet, it was used as a proof that life had to be accidental because it was such a longshot that it only occurred once. However, when the possibility of inhabited worlds elsewhere in the universe began to be taken seriously, the argument shifted to an attack on the Christian's "belief" that he is the center of the universe. To quote Lewis:

The supposed threat is clearly directed against the doctrine of the Incarnation, the belief that God of God "for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was…made man." Why for us men more than others? If we find ourselves to be but one among a million races, scattered through a million spheres, how can we, without absurd arrogance, believe ourselves to have been uniquely favored. I admit that the question could become formidable.

He says, though, that it only becomes "formidable" when we know the answers to five questions:

"Are there animals anywhere except on Earth?"
"Supposing there were, have any of these animals what we call 'rational souls'?" By this Lewis means being sentient and possessing a spiritual awareness.
"If there are species, and rational species, other than man, are any or all of them, like us, fallen." Lewis suggests that possibly the reason for the vast distances between stars and planets is to prevent the fallen creatures from corrupting the unfallen ones, and even to prevent technologically developed species from exploiting developing ones anticipating "The Prime Directive" of the Star Trek universe by a decade.
"If all of then (and surely all is a long shot) or any of them have fallen, have they been denied redemption" through the passion of Christ?
"If we knew that redemption by an Incarnation and Passion, had been denied to creatures in need of it – is it certain that this is the only mode of redemption that is possible?"

Lewis, of course, is responding to non-Christian critics in this essay, however some of this also applies to Christians considering the possibility of extraterrestrial life. We cannot know on the basis of scripture alone that we are alone in the universe. Again using a quotation from Lewis, "Aslan only tells one his own story." The Bible is first the story of the Jewish people and secondly that of the church. It is not even the story of the whole earth, just of it's redemption. It's like the arguments about whether women should wear make-up, kids should watch TV or families go to the movies in the 30's-60's. None of this is actually covered in scripture, but they were classed as "sins" by many churches and denominations based on interpretations of scriptures and, to be honest, the personal prejudices of the leaders of those churches.

This brings us to a crucial issue when writing. Our personal prejudices can and should affect the story. That's what makes it our individual vision of the world which we share with others. It is the writer's unique voice being heard. However, our voice should be silenced when we purport to speak for God and imply a Biblical justification for something that the Bible itself is silent about.

None of this is to say that extraterrestrial intelligence exists. Nor did I address any of the scientific evidence for or opposed to the concept. Honesty, the state of our science today compared to the vastness of the universe makes it unlikely for us to have a definitive scientific answer to this question for a very long time, if ever. I am merely addressing the assumption that the Bible indicates that we are alone in the universe, and that is not a valid assumption.

My mother passed away this year, but she had great wisdom in the things of God. She would say, "Don't put a question mark, where God put a period." I would add to that though, "Don't put a period, where God has put a question mark!"

I'll writer more about the book tomorrow. In spite of this tangential comment, I'm enjoying it.

In the meantime why not check out the comments of these other bloggers on this month's blog tour

Here There Be Dragons: Legend of the Firefish by George Bryan Polivka

2007-08-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

[Note: This is the second week of classes and I've been playing catch-up at school, so I'm a bit late. Nevertheless, I think you will enjoy this installment of the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog tour]

If you look at ancient mariner maps, you will see uncharted waters with the legend "Here there be Dragons." What if that was true? What if monsters plied the unexplored recesses of the ocean. This is the premise of The Trophy Chase series and it's first book Legend of the Firefish by George Bryan Polivka.

"What if there was a world similar to ours where those maps were accurate?" Polivka speculates. "In Nearing Vast, the legends turn out to be true, and the monsters, the Firefish, turn out to be incredibly valuable trophies. The first to hunt them is a pirate captain who sees the enormous fortune they can bring, and commissions a ship designed just for that purpose... the Trophy Chase. A young man stows away on that ship, hoping to bring redemption to his father's name, wealth to his fishing village, and honor to himself. That honor is required, he thinks, to win back the love of his lady."

According to Polivka, this swashbuckling tale revolves around a young man with "a sword in his hand and the heart of a priest."

"Packer Throme was mocked growing up because his father believed in Firefish, and set about trying to prove their existence. Packer's life took several bad turns... his father was lost at sea, and he was expelled from seminary. Humiliated and having no trade, he broke off his pending marriage. He then took up the sword, a skill at which he found he was amazingly gifted. But he is torn inside as he follows his new calling to hunt the beasts," Polivka explains.

However, his true love, Panna Seline, the daughter of the village priest, is not one to sit at home like Penelope weaving a tapestry. Awakening from a disturbing dream, she determines to following him, but says Polivka, "she discovers how much she doesn't know about the wide world, and the depth of depravity waiting out there for her."

Polivka describes the other characters rounding out the story:

"Scatter Wilkins is a pirate, who will do anything to find and kill more Firefish. When Packer brings news of Firefish feeding waters which he found in his father's diary, "Scat" is bound to sail into dangerous waters to find them.

"Talon is the security officer aboard the Trophy Chase. She is as brilliant with a sword as she is vicious. A native of Drammun, the sworn enemies of Nearing Vast, she hates Firefish and wants to return to piracy. She quickly comes to hate Packer and all he stands for, and is bound to prove him wrong on all counts... particularly this useless devotion to the "weak God" of the Vast... the one who was crucified."

Ironically, the Firefish also becomes a character in the story as well. Polivka explains, "The Firefish itself has thoughts and motives that we get to understand. I've had more than one reader say the Firefish is their favorite character."

While feeling the struggle of Packer, the tenaciousness of Penna, and the complexity of Talon Polivka, also admits affection for two sailors "Smith Delaney and Marcus Pile, who provide their endearing, none too sophisticated views on the whole matter. I really, really like both of them"

Polivka emphasizes that the book is first and foremost an entertaining adventure. "This is not a message book, with a sermon carefully crafted within it." Polivka points out.

That does not mean it is mindless entertainment, though. "It does explore some significant aspects of human spirituality that matter to me. Specifically, the whole area of turning the other cheek, and the apparent weakness of Jesus' command to "resist not evil." These are not suggestions on His part, but commands which he then showed us how to live out. And from that came great power. Most churches do not teach humility as the only route to power, and yet it seems obvious in scripture that it is the only path God has ordained: the path of humiliation. So that plays out in the books. If you want a hero who overpowers evil with the strength of a good sword and a noble purpose, this isn't the book for you. If you want to see how the meek inherit the earth, tune in."

This is the first book in a series. While I didn't have time this month to read the book, I do plan on buying it. It sounds like a fun ride.

If you want to read more about this book visit the following blogs:

Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Merrie Destefano
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Russell Griffith
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Terri Main
Rachel Marks
Karen McSpadden
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver

Blog Tour Notice

2007-08-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

I have an interview/profile to post related to this month's blog tour, but I've been ill and it will be posted later this week. It should be good.

Terri

Fearless - A Study in Ambiguity

2007-07-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

One day someone offers you a ring that will give you superpowers. However, you have to leave your old life behind totally. Later you discover that the one's offering you that "gift" may be part of an evil organization who have their designs on how you use those powers.

That's the premise of Robin Parrish's Fearless. The main character, Grant Borrows, is the grandson of one of the members of this secret and possibly evil organization. Grant is chosen to be "The Bringer," but isn't told what he is to bring. Grant joins with several other ringbearers as part of a looseknit organization which becomes a type of "league of superheros" who help out in various places where disaster strikes. And disaster strikes way too often in these difficult days.

Fearless is an action packed adventure ride that never stops. The action begins in the first chapter and continues right to the cliffhanger ending. Be forewarned, if you read this book, you will want to read the next in the series which won't be out until next summer.

The action is great, but the characters make this story. They are varied and complex. Take Payton, for instance, he seems to be working for both sides. Eventually, he comes over to the lighter side, but he brings dark ways with him. His bloodlust doesn't mesh well with the moral high ground taken by "the loci." However, in a disturbing, yet unfortunately, realistic way, at times it is overlooked (hopefully temporarily) in pursuit of "the greater good."

This ambiguity permeates the book. Grant uses his powers for good, but he ends up bringing destruction by accident. He is fighting against the "Secretum," an evil society dating back seven millennia, but he is the one they believe will bring about the culmination of their plans.

In fact, the loci itself reflects this tension. They are given rings of power by a potentially evil group, yet they try to do good with this power. This raises the eternal philosophical question can one do good using the tools of evil without negative consequences. It is almost Faustian. Faust seeks knowledge, but sells his soul for it. And when a flame leaps up in front of him, Mephistopheles observes, "You are bosom friends with the devil, yet you shrink from the flame."

Of course, the power may be neutral. Like fire, it might be used to cook dinner or burn down the house. This ambiguity gives an added dimension to the story making one hungry for the next book which will hopefully answer those questions.

My only criticism of the book is that it almost moves too fast for my tastes. You end up feeling almost breathless. Breaking up the major action scenes with some character development ones would be more to my taste. But on balance, I found the book to be enjoyable, thought provoking and a fine addition to my personal library.

You can read more about the author at his website and his blog. You can order the book here.

Read what others are saying about this book at the following blogs:

Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Merrie Destefano
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Russell Griffith
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Lyn Perry
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver

Frank Creed is Scheduled Guest in Wayfarer Journal Chats

2007-07-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

We have a special guest for our WJ chats this month. Frank Creed, founder of the Lost Genre Guild, and my inspiration for developing Wayfarers Journal will be our featured guest discussing his novel Flashpoint . The theme will be "If Jesus had an army..." and will discuss the use of violence in Christian action fiction. Creed makes extensive use of non-lethal weapons in his stories and will discuss his philosophy behind that. It should be a lively discussion.

Frank will be in both my Second Life chat (Terri Marathon's Town Hall) Tuesday July 10 at 7 p.m. PDT and my traditional chat at Wayfarers Journal (http://www.wayfarersjournal.com/chat.htm) Tuesday July 17 at 7 p.m. PDT.

If you want to take part in the Second Life chat, you have to set up an account at http://www.secondlife.com and download the software. Once you have signed up simply use this URL to launch the software and go to my place: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Solbim/79/136/51

Formatting Manuscripts: How to Create an Editor Friendly MS

2007-07-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know you saw that title and thought, "Oh, brother, that's about as interesting as watching grass grow." I don't doubt that it is, but even head-in-the-clouds science fiction writers must come down to earth once in awhile and deal with the reality of the business of writing. Part of that business is creating an editor friendly manuscript.

I have to admit that as a freelance writer, the last thought on my mind was how to format a manuscript. Fortunately, I had been well trained, and, even though it was the last thing on my mind, it was on my mind. Sorry to say, as an editor, I find that it isn't even considered by many competent writers.

In some ways, as much as I love online communication, the internet has compromised professionalism. I have college students send me emails about academic matters that read like a chat room transcript or a text message. For instance: "Ms. Main, I need 411 on the BR how about this book. My VBF Erica says it's great." I think I need my Wonder Woman decoder ring to decrypt the message.

I think a similar lack of formality finds its way into communication with editors. Some people assume that since they sent the manuscript as an attachment to an email, that the editor has their contact information. Here's the problem with that assumption. I doubt I'm much different than most editors. When I get a submission, I download the attachment to a "stories to be read" file. The email stays in the inbox. When I get a chance to read the story, there is no connection between it and the email. So, I have to do a search of my inbox to find the story. That's 10 minutes of time I could have spent reading another story or writing an acceptance or rejection letter. In other words that writer has stolen 10 minutes of my time that I will never get back. And at my age, I don't have that many minutes to waste. Okay, none of us do.

So, what does and editor friendly format look like? Well, a good format is shown below. Of course, you should always check the guidelines for a particular publication for any special formatting instructions those publications might have.

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Second Life Chat: Sword and Sorcery June 11

2007-06-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let you know about tomorrow's speculative fiction chat in Second Life. The topic will be "Swords and Sorcery: Is there a place for magic in Christian speculative fiction?" Both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien included magical elements in their stories, yet some claim that even in obvious fantasy such inclusion should never be made. We will be discussing, what, if any is the place of magic in speculative fiction and how it should be handled.

Second life is a virtual world where you move around using an avatar. The discussion will be held at my house in SL. If you have the SL software installed you can access it directly by pasting this URL in your internet browser: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Solbim/79/136/51 . It will open the software and take you directly to my living room. If you do not have the software installed, you can find it at http://www.secondlife.com . Once you install it and launch it the first time, you can configure the appearance of your avatar and learn how to move around in SL.

The following Tuesday (June 19) I'll have a traditional chat at Wayfarers Journal on the same topic. That is at http://www.wayfarersjournal.com/chat.htm . Both chats are at 7 p.m. Pacific time. (Which also happens to be SL time)

Have you seen the Light at the Edge of Darkness?

2007-06-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

Editor's note: With the release of LAED I thought I'd reprint this review I made earlier. BTW, I hope you are enjoying the blog tour and Scavenger hunt. Hint: Think Psi-Cop B5]

One of the advantages of having an online presence is that you sometimes get perks. One of those perks arrived in my mailbox last week. It was a book, Light at the Edge of Darkness, an anthology edited by Cynthia MacKinnon and published by Writer's Cafe Press. The book features "Biblical Speculative Fiction" which the book defines as " speculative fiction that is written from a Christian world view intended to inspire and entertain readers.

The book covers a wide spectrum of speculative fiction including horror, fantasy, supernatural and science fiction. The mood ranges from light hearted parody, as in Stephen Rice's "At the Mountains of Lunacy" with a light tip of the hat to H.P. Lovecraft and Andre Norton to "Undeniable," a haunting, horrific story of martyrdom and triumph.

Several of these stories project dark times ahead for Christians. Even though, I personally tend not to fall for the more paranoid prognostications of repressive western governments stifling Christianity. Mostly, I believe this because, Satan doesn't need to resort to such extreme measures. The popular media, the greedy televangelists, and the politicizing of Christianity has been doing the job nicely for him over the past 75 years or so with Europe having a head start on the U.S. No one needs to ban the Bible in America. There's one in every home but hardly anyone reads it anyway. Spiritual apathy among non-believers, and secularization of believers has done more in America to neutralize the Christian witness than the persecution of Nero did in Ancient Rome.

However, these apocalyptic tales are powerful, with strong characters, and lots of action. They are not my favorites, but that is a matter of personal taste. The craftsmanship in these stories is superior and the equal of anything to be found in the major science-fiction magazines.

Beware, though, as you read through these stories many may be disturbing. Some for reasons I outlined in another post, but mostly because they cause you to see the world differently. You will meet greedy aliens, doubting martyrs, and a righteous man rewarded for his righteousness ... well, I don't want to give that one away, but it may mess up your theology when you read it.

It is important to remember, that these are works of speculative fiction. That means they are unrealistic by nature. In some ways they are the parables of the 21st century. If you spend too much time nitpicking the theology of aliens or even the ethics of militaristic martyrs, you will miss the power of these stories. So, kick back, relax, and enjoy these stories of Light at the Edge of Darkness.

Light at the Edge of Darkness is currently available in April from Writer's Cafe Press.

Blog Tour: The Sword Review

2007-05-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

I found The Sword Review several months ago when I was researching science fiction on the web. I found it to be a stylish site with some great speculative fiction art work and poetry which many sites of this sort do not have.

The Sword review is an eclectic speculative fiction web site featuring both science fiction and fantasy. Some stories even blur the line between the two. Everyone from hard-core science fiction types to the children of Tolkien can find something of interest here.

One charming story on the site, "Polar Daughter," I found enthralling. A young girl who speaks bear, a bear commissioned by a higher being to bring her to him, the bear's reluctance out of fear for the girl's safety and his own attachment to her, and all enchanting elements of this story. Strong characters and an engaging plot make it delightful.

The poetry is another bright spot in the Review. For the most part, these are modern poems with something to say. Too often, poetry on Christian sites don't rise above greeting card verse. These are different. They speak to the contemporary reader in a language they understand.

Also, as a Christian site, I found this to be a place that I could refer my non-Christian acquaintances. The stories are clean and morally sound, but they are not generally preachy or overbearing.

Some of the stories, though, languish in a second tier of excellence. One in particular called "ME Control" starts with an intriguing premise. Teachers in this future world can control the physical responses of their students through a chip implanted in their brains. It is the dream of every teacher. The problem is that, aside from the "surprise" ending, it doesn't move far from being just a premise. The teacher's character is flat and there is no actual conflict in the story (even inner conflict), no rising action or climax. It is a slice of life with an interesting premise, but not much more than that.

Another issue to be addressed (and understand, this is an issue I need to address at Wayfarers as well) is consistency in the navigation structure of the site. The link backs to the home page or table of contents page are different in different parts of the site. That makes navigation not as simple as it could be. It is something we both need to address. I hope to do so here this summer.

Overall, The Sword Review is a wonderful speculative fiction site which belongs near the top of your favorites.

Read more about Sword Review at one of the other blog tour participants:

Jim Black
Amy Browining
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
April Erwin
Kameron M. Franklin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium
Terri Main
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver

A Review: The Return of the Guardian-King by Karen Hancock

2007-04-20T01:13:00.001-07:00

When reviewing a book that is part of a series in which one of the books has won a Christy award raises expectations for a good read, even a superior read. Unfortunately, this book failed to meet that expectation for me. Some aspects were in part a matter of taste. Some of the writing was a bit wordy for my tastes and moved more slowly getting to the heart of the story than I like. But those are personal issues. Even once I swept them aside, I found the book to be a fairly modest example of the classic Sword and Sorcery romance.

The story is a common one in fantasy literature. A king is separated from his Kingdom and is on a quest to return to it and his rightful place. In this case King Abramm, the Guardian-King appeared to have been executed, but in reality he was rescued at the last minute. He disguises himself as Alaric a supporter of the King who is on his way to help take back the kingdom for the Kings family in exile. Meanwhile his wife, like Odysseus's Penelope, fends off suitors while awaiting the return of her husband whom everyone else says is dead.

You have plenty of stock characters in this story. The heroic king in exile. The wise old spiritual adviser. The wife who stubbornly refuses to give up hope. The handsome suitor wooing the queen.

The problem is that many, if not most of them, never quite make it beyond their traditional stereotype. I have the feeling I am reading a Prince Valiant cartoon instead of a piece of literature. Certainly, that can be a pleasant diversion in the short term, but not over the extent of a 300 page book.

Likewise, this book shares some of the problems found in many Sword and Sorcery books which take place in an alternate fantasy world. First, we have a world which is essentially like ours just with the addition of a few fantastic creatures like shape-shifting wolves and dragons and the ability of some to manipulate "the light" which apparently emanates from Eidon, the divinity of this world. It is apparently anaologous with the Holy Spirit with the exception of being impersonal and capable of manipulation by human beings. I hope that is not the intent of the author, because there are some serious theological consequences to such a teaching.

Nevertheless, it is basically a low-tech, medieval type of setting with some magical elements thrown in. The thing about that is that, like many fantasy novels, the alternate world is not quite different enough to really let you know it's not just 10th century England with dragons added. However, even that would be acceptable except for the internal inconsistencies and anachronisms.

At one point the society is presented as being basically patriarchal with women being totally dominated by men. Yet, in another scene a woman is ready to "give" her husband a divorce. In a patriarchal culture of the sort established initially the man would be the one to grant divorces and the woman would have no say in the matter.

In another scene we have someone putting on his spectacles without any sense of wonder. It takes a fairly sophisticated level of technology to produce something that common, and not really in keeping with the level of technology depicted in the book. It doesn't mean this person couldn't have found some crystal and shaped it himself or an artisan did it for him, but it would be an uncommon marvel.

Then there is the patois of the "lower class" using "ye" for "you," but not in keeping with the actual meaning of ye as the nominative plural.

I know what you are thinking. This is all nitpicking. Even Shakespeare had a clock in ancient Rome. But he did have compelling characters, a strong storyline and a great funeral oration. The problem is that these inconsistencies and anachronisms continue to build up within the context of a fairly predictable, and slow moving storyline, played out by rather stock characters.

Perhaps, some of this would be more readable if I had read the other books in the series. I would then know some of the background. However, a book should be able to stand on its own merits as an individual work of art. And if there is material in the previous volumes necessary to the enjoyment of the present volume, then a prologue bringing the reader up to date would be advisable.

For those who have read the previous books, I suspect this would be an adequate addition to the set. However, I would not advise anyone to start with this book. I am truly sorry my expectations were not fulfilled.

Read what other bloggers are saying about this book:

Nissa Annakindt
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
April Erwin
Kameron M. Franklin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Christopher Hopper
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Karen
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Shannon McNear
Caleb Newell
Nicole
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Robin Parrish
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Tsaba House Authors
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver

You can find this book at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0764227971 I receive no income from this link.

A Review: The Return of the Guardian-King by Karen Hancock

2007-04-20T01:13:00.000-07:00

The Unspoken Danger of Self-Publishing

2007-04-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

When people talk about the "dangers" of self-publishing they tend to point to con-artists, vanity publishers promising things they can't deliver, naive authors who don't understand marketing, etc. However, there is another danger for the self publisher that people tend to overlook. And for the literary landscape of 21st Century America, it is probably one of the most serious: Compromised literary quality.

Okay, before all you self-publishers get out whatever is the cyberspace equivalent of tar and feathers let me make clear that I am not opposed to self-publishing per se. In some ways the advent of e-books and print-on-demand publishing has re-democratized publishing. Like someone once said, "Freedom of the Press belongs to those who have one." Now, just about anybody with a modest investment can get a book "published."

One can also argue that with an increasing number of people purchasing books online, the fact that most self-published books don't see the inside of a bookstore, is not as important as it was in the past to the sale of the books. Thus, the success rate of some self-published titles can be impressive.

Others will also contend that for certain niche markets self-publishing is virtually the only venue for publication. A good example is the Christian speculative fiction field. Neither the Christian mainstream publishers nor the secular ones are much interested. So, self-published works dominate the field. In fact, in today's economy, some argue it is about the only way a new genre can get a foothold in the marketplace.

That brings me back to the real danger of self-publishing: poor literary quality. Recently, I've been reading several speculative fiction books. In fact, right now, I'm reading one published by a traditional secular publisher and one which is self-published. When I switch between the two, the first thing I notice is a difference in polish. Both books have interesting characters and plot lines. There are memorable passages and no so memorable ones in each. But the one published by the traditional publisher just seems a bit more "finished."

Let me put it this way, when I am reading most self-published novels I feel like I'm reading one of the early drafts of one of my best writing students. The ideas are good. The characters are well drawn. The story line is moving along, but.... as it is, it's still only a B+ paper. It's good, but not publishable. It still needs work to take it to that next level of polish the reader deserves.

It doesn't mean the writing is bad. In fact, the writing may be generally good. It's just that it needs to be better. In traditional publishing, there is an editor or agent who says, "No, this isn't quite right, yet. and sends it back for a rewrite, the one last rewrite most of us as writers wouldn't do on our own. It's the rewrite which is not about selling the book, but the one about making the reader's experience just a little bit better.

But when we are self-publishing (like this blog), we are more likely to let things go a bit. For a blog, that's not too bad, because blogging is supposed to be a bit more spontaneous and it doesn't produce something that can sit on a shelf and be read for generations in a physical form. The reader expects, and has a right to expect, a level of writing more polished in a book than in just about any other medium.

So, does this mean everyone should publish through traditional publishers? I've already said that there are good reasons for going with the self publish option. Here are a few more:

1. You are writing for a specialized market too small to interest a traditional publisher.
2. You are writing in a genre which has yet to establish a foothold in traditional publishing.
3. There are significant financial incentives to "go it alone." For instance, a conference speaker who speaks to thousands of individuals a year, might make more money publishing her own conference materials than trying to sell them to a traditional publisher.

Notice one of those reasons is NOT because my writing isn't as good as the "big boys/girls" published by those companies. If you are not getting published by traditional publishers because they aren't handling your type of literature, that's one thing. It may even be a legitimate reason to investigate self-publishing. However, if you are being rejected because quality of the writing isn't there, then you need to go back to the manuscript, edit, rewrite, read more, take classes on the craft of writing, hire a writing teacher, tutor or coach, learn more then improve your writing.

Even if you feel after an honest appraisal of the situation that your project has promise and your writing is solid, before putting your deathless prose in print, find yourself an editor. I don't just mean a proof reader. It important to get the mechanics right, but that's not the type of polish I'm talking about. Find someone who has published in your field to give a thorough critique of your book. Then let that person decide - and not you - when it is ready to be published.

If cost is a factor, a good second best option is a critique group. Let them tear your work apart and t hen let them decide when it should go to print. But the editor is a better option.

Self-publishing does have the potential of revitalizing the publishing industry, giving a voice to worthy authors who might not otherwise have one, developing new genres, and serving small groups of enthusiasts who would be ignored by Random House. However, the self-published author also needs to exercise enough patience to not go to press before the book is ready.

"Is there such a thing as Christian Horror?" Topic for Second Life Discussion and New Location

2007-04-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

I'll be hosting another discussion of spirituality-based speculative fiction in Second Life. For those who know second life, my location is Solbim 76,135, 51 Here is a SLURL which you can place in your web browser and will launch the SL software to take you there supposedly.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/solbim/75/135/51

This is a new location, so delete any others you might have in your landmarks list.

If this doesn't work, when you get into the world you can IM me (Terri Marathon is my in-world name) and I'll teleport you over. (How cool is that? How often do you get to say that in real life.)

This weeks discussion begins at 7 p.m. and will discuss "Is there such a thing as Christian Horror?"

Science Fiction without Phasers

2007-04-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

Before I proceed, I need to make clear that I am a big "Space Opera" fan. I watched all of the episodes of all the Star Trek venues, even Enterprise (which apparently nobody else watched.) I really appreciated Gene Roddenberry's emphasis, though, on character and strong storylines that were not totally dependent on phaser fire and photon torpedoes. Nevertheless, he did sell the series to NBC as "Bonanza in Outer Space."

However, science fiction is more than just action theater in outer space. Science fiction, though considered second class literature by many critics, is perhaps the most relevant medium for exploring the societal, ethical, moral and cultural issues facing the world in the coming years. Science fiction stories which may not include a space battle challenge the reader to "think outside the box" which contains their daily experience.

Looking to television, we saw the heyday of that type of science fiction in the 1960's with the classics The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. The low budgets on these shows and the primitive state of special effects forced the producers to focus much more on character and thought-provoking story lines to hold their audiences. Some of the classic programs tell the power of "quiet" science fiction. Remember the Twilight Zone episode where a woman is having plastic surgery to correct her "hideous" appearance only to find that it didn't work, she was still the blonde, smooth complexioned, blue-eyed, "monster" who had to be sent away. Or what about the episode where at a certain age everyone was expected to choose one of the "approved" body types so they would not be different.

In print, I was moved and amused by "The Fun they Had" by Isaac Asimov where two children who are homeschooled in the future by computerized robotic teachers, discover a book that tells about the old days when all the kids went to school together in a building, were taught by a human teacher, and played together at something called "recess." They envied those "happy" students and "the fun they had" going to school.

Yes, I love to watch Captain Picard stand in front of the view screen and say, "Lock weapons, Mr. Worf. Fire!" but I think in some ways, I prefer to watch Commander Data struggle with his quest to discover the human quality of emotion.

It's all part of the rich tapestry of science fiction. One that I wanted to take some time to celebrate.

Speaking of Twilight Zone: Why not post your own favorite episode of the classic series. Feel free to post your favorite Outer Limits either classic or new.

Christian Influence Writing: Writing for a secular audience without going over to the Dark Side

2007-03-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

I've put off writing this one in part because there are many different perspectives on the issues I raise. But I've decided to go with my own convictions, while trying to give a reasonable presentation of opposing view points.

Someone mentioned in a blog response to this topic about "sanitizing" Christian fiction. The implication was that one could not write for a secular audience without using profanity, sexually suggestive or explicit scenes or graphic violence. That may not have been the intent, but I run across that attitude a lot.

The reasoning goes that Christian literature has been too "squeaky clean." People have children, but somehow never have sex. The only problems the kids have are cheating on tests or sassing parents. It's like a flashback to Leave it to Beaver.

This is a legitimate criticism. Many Christian writers are afraid to tackle the tough issues such as pre-marital sex, adultery, drug abuse, abortion, environmental destruction, criminal activity, corporate or political greed, or corruption in religious organizations. Some are afraid of being politically incorrect within the context of the current evangelical political arena. They are afraid of going against conservative political philosophy, even when such philosophy is not supported one way or another by scripture. The environment being a case in point. I have difficulty understanding how Christians can approve of destroying the world God gave us simply to feed corporate greed. Likewise "liberal" issues such as care for the poor, health care, or compassion for those society has rejected are not liberal or conservative values, they are Biblical ones.

There are many ways, Christian literature has been "sanitized" and has lost its ability to speak to the realities of the real world. However, that does not mean that the Christian influence when writing for a secular audience should stop at the selection of a Christian as a main or supporting character. How we approach ethics, personal behavior and language in writing also matters.

I am sometimes shocked at how some "Christian" characters act in stories by Christian writers. I have read science fiction stories in which members of a persecuted church of the future shoot their way out of trouble with blasters killing everyone in sight without so much as a tear shed for any of the dead. This is hardly in keeping with the example of our founder who went to his death peacefully, healed one of the guards taking him to his trial and eventual death, and forgave those crucifying him. Nor is it in the character of the early church who won over the populace of the ancient world by a peaceful lifestyle and a gentle power in the face of the worst persecution the church ever knew to the current day.

Some Christian writers are so anxious to create Christian action heroes that appeal to a society fed a diet of bloody video games and gory movies that the characters become indistinguishable from the non-Christian characters except in professed religion. These characters bear more resemblance to James Bond than to Jesus Christ. They stand in stark contrast to the quiet courage of the first century martyrs who "turned the world upside down."

Another question, which is maybe harder to deal with is language. Now, Wayfarers Journal has a strict "No profanity" rule. However, the argument can be made that in the real world you hear profanity. This is true. Although, to be honest, that depends heavily on what part of the real world forms your world. As a college professor, I hear very little. The professors are articulate enough to not need to use profanity to be expressive, and the students are more likely to use expletives among themselves than with teachers. I, frankly, hear more profanity on TV than in real life.

However, the point is well taken. Everybody doesn't say, "Ah shucks" when they are disappointed or "fiddlesticks" when they hit their thumbs with a hammer. The question is whether or not one needs to actually use the profanity in their writing for the sake of realism. The arguments in favor are that people are used to reading it in secular literature, that characterization may suffer without using it as part of the dialog, and that it is necessary to be realistic. Some point out that even C.S. Lewis used four-letter words in his writing. (Although, to be honest, you can count on one hand the number of instances, and in a couple of cases, the word "damned" is used in the context of something that is condemned and not as a curse word.)

These are compelling arguments. However, I disagree that one needs to actually print profanity for the sake of realism. All secular literature does not use profanity. I am an avid reader of mystery stories of the "country cozy" variety. Two particular favorites are Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael mysteries and Lillian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who series. Neither of these series contain a lot of profanity. One could say, legitimately, that one would not expect a 12th century Monk to use profane language, but the story takes the monk out of the monastery into the streets among coarse peasants and into taverns. The Cat Who series follows a hard-bitten investigative reporter relocated to a small town filled with the descendants of miners, fishermen, farmers and bootleggers, yet there is little profanity. Both Peters' and Braun created best selling series. Tolkien created realistic villains without recording every profane word that came out of their mouths. And his Lord of the Rings trilogy is more popular with modern audiences than every before.

So, it is a myth, that everyone is doing it and you have to as well to get a readership. Good writing will draw readers and not just sprinkling your writing with vulgarity. But that's the point, can you develop certain types of characters without some of them using profanity? Certainly, some of your characters might use profanity, but does that mean you have to record it word-for-word? You can write, " One-Eye Louie spat on the ground and said, "Now you @%$#!@'s , I'm gonna *&%$((^&amp;amp;% your (*&^$%$).' Then he hit John across the face with a piece of pipe . " Or you can write. "One-eyed Louie cursed, spat on the ground and hit John across the face with a piece of pipe." The second actually has more economy of language and it gets across the point that the guy is no Sunday school boy.

Truthfully, there is a secular market for clean stories. The success of TV channels like TV Land, Nick at Night and The Hallmark Channel demonstrate this. Just because someone is not a Christian doesn't mean they actually want to read someone where every sentence is profane, and violence is glorified. Christian influence stories can help fill this niche and appeal to both Christians and non-Christians alike.

More than an Opinion: Writing an Effective Book Review

2007-03-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

Some people think it is an easy thing to write a book review. They think all it means is to read the book and write down what they thought about it. You can do that, but that is not a review. It's a reaction. Unless you already have a following, the reader doesn't actually care much if you enjoyed the book or not. The reader looks to the reviewer to find out if he or she will enjoy the book. That is a significant difference.

The reviewer is an advocate for the reader. He or she provides the reader with enough information and analysis for the reader to make a buying decision. That means that the reviewer can't be concerned about the author's feelings, the publisher's reaction or even their own personal enjoyment of the book.

A book can be informative and well written and not be interesting to me personally because it is a genre or on a topic which is uninteresting to me, or the writer employs a style of writing that I don't like. Those are often matters of taste and preference. The reviewer has to move beyond personal taste and review a book on a fair evaluation of it’s merits.

Reading Like a Reviewer

To be a good book reviewer you need to analyze the book at a deeper level than you would if you were just reading the book for pleasure. This analysis means that you need to judge the book against a set of criteria. When reading you need to pay attention to these criteria, therefore if the book is fiction, you need to ask yourself questions like:

Are the characters believable?
Is the dialog natural? Is the pacing of the action appropriate to the genre and style of writing? Are the settings and descriptions engaging?
Does the plot move along naturally or does it seem forced in parts?
Is the style of writing engaging?
Is the work original or derivative?
Does the work capture the readers attention at the beginning and hold it to the end?
If part of a series, how easy would it be for a reader new to the series to pick up on the action?
What about the handling of controversial or potentially offensive elements such as sexuality and violence? Is it handled with subtlety within a proper moral context? Is it explicit? Does it have an implied approval of violent or sexual acts which might be contrary to the ethics of your readers?

For nonfiction books the questions include:

What is the target audience for this book?
Regardless of the obvious audience for this book, what group or groups of people would benefit most from reading this book. Which ones would benefit least?
What is the theme or thesis of the book?
How well did it serve the needs of that audience?
Was the information helpful?
Was the writing style engaging holding the readers attention even when discussing technical matters?
Was the format and organization of the book helpful to the reader?
How could the reader apply this to their personal lives?
Did the book focus mostly on theory or practice or both?
How did any illustrations used in the book support the subject matter of the book?
Was everything in the book necessary or did it seem that the author was padding the writing to reach a certain word count?
Is the information given accurate? Did you find any significant fact errors, misquoted scripture, etc.
Is the theology doctrinally sound?
Is the exegesis of scripture consistent with accepted principles of hermeneutics?
Were scriptures taken out of context or interpreted inappropriately?
What level of spiritual maturity or Bible knowledge is required to understand the concepts in this book?

You will note that some of these questions do not elicit answers which make a book good or bad, but rather give us information about aspects of the book which might make it more or less appropriate for specific groups of people or which might cause it to appeal to or lack appeal for certain tastes. It is important to go beyond a Good Book-Bad Book dichotomy in your review.
Of course, all of these elements that you considered in your reading won’t be covered in every review. Some of these elements are more important in some books than in others. Likewise, this is not a comprehensive list. Certain genres of writing have their own criteria for excellence. Learning about those genre-specific criteria is especially important if you choose to specialize in that genre.

Once you have a complete understanding of not only how you liked the book, but how the book was constructed and written, then you can begin to write your review focusing on those relevant criteria.

Elements of a Review

There are three basic elements to a good review: Summary, Critique and Recommendation.

Summary. Early in your review you need to give the reader a basic sense of the content of the book free of commentary. For a fiction book, this means giving the basic premise for the plot and maybe introducing the main characters. For nonfiction, it means to give the general theme of the book and a summary of the topics covered.

What you don’t want to do in the summary portion of your review is try to summarize the entire book. It’s a balancing act. You want to give the reader enough unbiased information to decide if the content is of interest or not, but on the other hand, having someone try to summarize the entire book gets boring pretty quickly. I tell my students when writing book reviews to limit this to no more than three paragraphs and aim for one.

Analysis and Critique. Obviously, the bulk of the review is critique. This is where you evaluate the book according to the appropriate criteria for that genre. This is where the notes you made while reading the book will come in handy. Use those questions we posed earlier as a guide for your evaluation. That will keep you from simply responding to a general impression which might be based more on your personal tastes rather than on solid literary grounds for critique.
In this section choose a limited number of specific items (3-4) author did well and tell why they are good. Be specific and use examples and quotes from the book whenever possible. Then focus on those things which were not done so well. Again, tell why you gave that judgment and present specific examples of where the book failed to fulfill its promise.

Obviously, if the book is a positive review, you will spend more time on the good points. If you found the book to be not so good, then you will spend more time on the negative points. However, to be fair, most books are not universally good or universally terrible. The worst books usually have one or two good points, and there is usually something in the best books that could have been done better. A balanced review acknowledges both the strengths and the weaknesses of the work.

Recommendation. This is usually the last paragraph. In it, you give your recommendation concerning the book. It can be an unqualified recommendation or a qualified one. An unqualified recommendation is one in which you state without reservation that the book is a "good read" (although that phrase has been somewhat overused) or that the book is not worth reading. Remember, before you give such a recommendation, that your reputation is on the line. Be sure you have given adequate reasons for this judgment earlier in your review so the reader can say, "Yes, I can see that."

You can also give a qualified recommendation. You might think that a book is generally good, but either it has some flaws or it may not be good for everyone. For instance, there is a popular secular book about healing from childhood abuse. It is an excellent book. However, the author says that it is not important to forgive the offender. She misunderstands the meaning of forgiveness and confuses it with excusing the abuse. So, whenever I have written about that book, I tell people it is good, but to ignore the chapter on forgiveness. That is a qualified recommendation.

Also sometimes the book is better suited to a particular group of readers. For instance, an "edgy" Christian suspense novel may have several violent scenes which might not be suitable for younger readers. So, you might include a warning about that.

At this point, you may be saying to yourself, "Wow, that’s a lot of work!" It is, but you will find that you will not only provide a service to others, but also enhance your own enjoyment of the books you read.

Christian Influence Writing Part III: Sermons or Stories

2007-03-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

I remember taking a creative writing in college. I wrote a story with lots of "meaning." It had a "message" and my characters spouted that message at every opportunity. My teacher, a very blunt spoken man, asked, "What were you trying to do with this story?" (Okay, he had a few words of description before the word story, but I don't use that language.) I told him all about the message I had in mind.

He looked me straight in the eye and said, "If you want to send a message call Western Union," then he threw down the paper and said, "Next time write me a story and not a sermon."

Only when I became a teacher and later an editor, did I fully understand his point. Way too many people try to wrap sermons into stories. Even when writing for Christians, the reader doesn't want to read a short story or novel with some heavy-handed message hitting them in the face. They want to be entertained, inspired, even challenged, but they don't want to be preached at.

When writing Christian-Influence fiction for a more general audience, it is even more essential that one resist the temptation for sermonizing. Nothing is going to cause a website visitor to surf away quicker than to think they are going to read an entertaining bit of fiction and then be hit with some sort of polemic about how they should think or believe. And an editor for a general interest or genre publication is going to be reaching for the SASE after just a couple of pages of didactic fiction.

Does this mean that a piece of fiction can't have a message? Absolutely not. Good pieces of fiction often have a message. Huckleberry Finn, Grapes of Wrath, The Time Machine, The Great Gatsby, and hundreds of other classics contain lessons, but those lessons, those messages grow out of the story. They are not imposed on the story. The story comes first and the message lays beneath the surface glimpsed occasionally as one skims across the the water chasing the plot.

And in the best stories the general essence of the message is clear, but it's details are not so clear. Is Huck Finn a racist product of his time with compassion for one slave or is he making a statment about slavery as a whole? Is H.G. Wells making a statement about class warfare in The Time Machine or is he warning against an unquestioning acceptance of an easy life without engaging in the work that makes that life possible?

Personally, I would like to see more entertaining secular short stories which simply have Christian characters in them Too many stories are about Christianity or the Christian walk. But where are the mystery stories in secular publications in which the main character happens to be a Christian, just as Sherlock Holmes happened to play the violin and organized his files by the amount of dust on them. Where are the science fiction stories in which one of the crew members on a planetary survey expedition prays before he puts on his suit for an EVA, but in which the story doesn't revolve around his religious beliefs?

There are some. The Father Brown mysteries, in a different form Zenna Henderson's stories of devout people in extraordinary situations, and a few other places.

It is easy to blame the "godless" secular media for barring access, yet, one of the most popular TV shows on CBS for several years was Touched by an Angel with a Christian producer and some Christian actors.

But a Christian created, produced and advocated with the network for the show. And she created good compelling secular stories with a spiritual twist. Perhaps one of the most extreme examples of Christian Influence writing.

Maybe part of the problem is a reticence among secular publishers to include stories which include Christian main characters. But maybe it's also because Christian writers aren't writing stories which include Christian characters which don't become sermons.

If we want more Christian characters in secular fiction, then we will have to write mainstream and genre stories with Christian characters, and we need to advocate for them with editors and publishers. After all, if we don't do it. They won't.

Next Time: Writing Christian Influence fiction without going over the "The Dark Side."

Second Life Chat Schedule Announced

2007-03-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

[This news release is going to be going out to a bunch of speculative fiction sites this week. Feel free to use it on your site or blog if you wish.]

Spirituality in Science Fiction Discussion Group Meets in Second Life

The second Tuesday of every month speculative fiction writers and fans are invited to a discussion of spirituality in science fiction at 7 p.m. (Pacific Time) in Second Life (http://www.secondlife.com ), a virtual world with more than four million “residents.” The “in -world” coordinates are (184,25,64)

"Speculative fiction has often been ignored by traditional religious publishers as a recognized vehicle for spiritual themes," notes Terri Main (Terri Marathon in Second Life), facilitator of the group and editor of Wayfarers Journal (http://www.wayfarersjournal.com ), "Likewise speculative fiction publishers, have also avoided fiction which seemed too 'religious' in nature. So, it’s good to have a place to discuss spirituality-based speculative fiction with like-minded people."

Future discussion groups may include visits by guest authors and editors as they become available. However, a tentative schedule of topics has been announced:

March - Alien Theology: Finding Redemption under a Different Sun
April - Spirituality Based Horror: Is there such a thing as Christian Horror?
May - The Ethics of Technology: Just because we can, Does that mean that we Should?
June - Swords and Sorcery: The Place of Magic in Christian Fiction.
July- Stories or Sermons: Do Stories need Messages?
August - Beyond Bug-Eyed Monsters: How do we create believable, sympathetic characters when they have three eyes and two heads.
September -The Future’s not What it Used to Be: Creating believable future societies.
October -Get Real: How do we create realistic literature without compromising Christian principles?
November - Playing God: Worldbuilding in speculative fiction.
December - Year in Review: A pause to reflect on the past and plan for the future.

This schedule is subject to change based on the availability of special guests.

Anyone wishing to take part must register at Second Life and download their software. Once registered, they can follow these instructions to reach the location of the meeting:

Register at http://www.secondlife.com
Download and install the software
Run the software
Enter your "in-world" name and password. It may take some time for the world to load depending on your internet connection and graphics drivers.
To reach a particular destination, click on the "map" button on the bottom of the screen. In the bottom right of the map screen, you will see a place to enter these co-ordinates (184,25,64). Enter them in the order given and click "teleport." You will be taken to the location. Once there, you can click on "World" at the top of the screen, and click "Save this Landmark." This will save the copy in your "inventory" which you can access by clicking the appropriate link in the bottom right of the main screen. Doing this makes it easy to return to the location for future meetings.

For more information about Terri Marathon’s Town Meeting, email her at webservant2003@yahoo.com.

Terri Main

Science Fiction with a Difference: WayfarersJournal.com

Study the Bible at Bible Study Central http://www.biblestudycentral.net .

Christian Influence Writing Part II: Watch your language!

2007-03-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

Have you even went with a friend or spouse to a company party or some other gathering of people who all worked in the same field which is different than yours? You stood around hearing them talk shop without you understanding a word they said. You know they are speaking your native tongue, but you still felt like you needed a translator.

Non-Christian visitors to Christian web sites or readers of Christian fiction (even some intended as "evangelistic") often feel the same way. They are hearing the words, but they don't understand the conversation. Not only do they have to struggle to understand what is being said, they also begin to feel isolated. They begin to see spirituality-based literature as being "insider" literature which excludes anyone who doesn't have the key to unlock the code. This just reinforces the image of Christians as being elitists looking down on everyone else. Whether or not that is true of some, it is not the image we want to project, if we want them to hear our message.

When I was in journalism school, we often used the "man from Mars" test to see if a story was understandable. It went something like this: If a man from Mars landed on Earth yesterday with a rudimentary knowledge of the language, but no knowledge of current events, could he understand the story?

The same test can be applied to Christian-Influence writing. Can a person with no prior knowledge of the tenets of Christianity understand what you are writing? For instance, writing a story about a time traveler going back to the First Century with an automatic weapon to try and prevent the crucifixion can't assume the reader understands the importance of the death of Christ as the propitiation for our sins. They won't even understand what "propitiation" means.

But it's not just Biblical allusions and doctrinal knowledge that can push people way. The very language we use can do so as well. Every culture develops its own "insider" language. This language helps to bond the individuals of the community together, and it also acts as a type of short hand communicating concepts quickly within the community. There is nothing wrong with this. It happens in every cultural group.

Unfortunately, we often forget that everyone doesn't understand these culture-specific expressions. We are as much at loss to understand, as Captain Piccard was to understand the alien who spoke entirely in allusions to the history and legends of his planet. Communication effectiveness depends in part shared fields of experience. One must remember that non-Christians do not share the same religious experience that Christians do. They don't know what we mean when we say things like "serve the Lord," "Get saved," "be convicted," "Confess Christ," "witness," "pray through," "get right with God," "be born again," "on fire for Christ," and a thousand other pieces of Christian jargon.

So, what should we do? The following are some simple suggestions for inclusive writing.

Remember, it's about them and not about you. It isn't easy to turn off the Christian jargon many of us grew up with. But if I am going to communicate spiritual matters with anyone outside the four walls of the church, I need to speak their language. I've known some Christians to scoff at "seeker-friendly" writing and preaching. They often view it as compromising the message. This is ridiculous. Taking the time to put our message into the language of the people is simply good sense. You wouldn't go to a remote village in Africa as a missionary and give all your messages in English and expect to have any success. If we say we care about evangelism, then we need to care enough to speak their language. It all starts with being willing.
Be careful about allusions to Bible stories. I grew up in Sunday school. By the time I was out of grade school, I could tell you the biographies of The patriarchs, David, Solomon, a few prophets, Jesus, Peter and Paul. But I can't assume my reader has the same background. If the reference to a Bible story is called for, then give a good summary of the entire story and not just a passing reference. The same advice goes for other Biblical references, too. For instance, Christians often make quick references to common Bible passages by the chapter and verse or a well know appellation. For instance, John 3:16, Acts 2:4, I Corinthians 13 (or more popularly, "The Love Chapter"), the 10 Commandments (And by the way, can you quote all 10?), or the 23rd Psalm. To the non-Christian these are just meaningless labels for the most part.
Drop the jargon. We have already alluded to this before. Put Christian Jargon into more common language. It takes some work, but it can be done. For instance, instead of talking about "getting saved" or "converted," you can say "deciding to become a follower of Christ" or "accepting God's forgiveness." Sin can be explained in terms of failure to live up to God's standards. Instead of "witnessing" or "sharing my testimony" say "telling about my experience as a Christian." There are many examples. Here are three helpful web sites about dealing with Christian Jargon.

Unlearning the Lingo

When Words Get in the Way

How Insider Jargon Excludes People

It isn't easy learning a new language, but if we truly want to reach a wider audience than other Christians, we have to make the effort to communicate spiritual truths without using church jargon.

Next time, sermonizing or storytelling.

Christian Influence Writing Part I: Beyond Preaching to the Choir

2007-03-04T11:39:00.000-08:00

One of the great tragedies of Christian publishing in all venues, whether in print or online, is that 99 percent of Christian writing is for other Christians. It uses Christian jargon, makes oblique allusions to Christian principles and "familiar" Biblical passages, and assumes a general agreement with Christian doctrine. Even most spirituality-based speculative fiction is like this.

There is nothing wrong with this per se. The Christian world view has certainly been at best ignored and at worst ridiculed by our popular culture. Rarely is a "born again" character in a secular book, movie or TV show presented as sympathetic. One can argue that the actions of many of our high profile leaders contribute to this ugly view of evangelical Christianity, but whatever the reason, Christians are not presented positively in the mass media. So, having an alternative within our own community of faith makes sense.

However, we were never called to be insular. Jesus' last words to his disciples were not, "Go to your churches and stay put until I come again." They were, "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and all of Judea, and in Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth." (Acts 1.8) While there is nothing wrong with writing "insider" fiction and nonfiction - and I've written a lot of it - it is not our primary mission.

I want to emphasize that I believe we do not need to abandon efforts to write good quality Christian fiction which entertains and challenges the reader to live a more productive Christian life. I simply want to encourage some of us to prayerfully consider expanding our mission by writing fiction (and nonfiction) which engages the non-believer’s imagination but with a Christian spin. I have come to call this type of fiction "Christian Influence Fiction."

In some ways speculative fiction is a perfect venue for Christian influence fiction. The readers already come to the page with an expectation of the numinous, the fantastic, the supernatural. Even science-fiction readers, who tend to be a bit more cerebral, are ready to consider extreme possibilities like alternate universes, time travel, hyperspace, tachyons, extraterrestrial cultures, and speculative futures. In other words, the speculative fiction reader by nature approaches a story with fewer expectations and keeps more of an open mind, than say a reader of Romance novels or historical fiction, in regards to that which lies outside the phenomenal world.

This gives the Christian writer an open door to present spiritual principles in a nonthreatening way. Gene Roddenberry broke new ground in the 1960's with Star Trek by addressing social issues such as racism, war and peace, poverty and ethical implications of technology during a time when television was dominated by shows like The Beverly Hillbillies, The Donna Reed Show, Leave it to Beaver, and The Adams Family. He claimed that he could address social issues left untouched by other shows because he could wrap them in a series he pitched to the network as "Bonanza in Outer Space." When the insanity of racial prejudice is presented by an alien race with faces split between black and white and the contention is over whether the black is on the right or left side of the face, people could examine their own prejudices more safely.

The same can be said of theological concepts. C.S. Lewis' book Perlandra is a case in point. Two human beings: A professor of philology and a physics professor find themselves transported to Perelandra (our Venus). The planet has floating islands and the only two natives have been commanded by Maleldil, the great creator spirit, to live only on the floating islands and not the fixed land. The struggle ensues between Westen, the physics professor, to tempt the woman to live on the fixed land, and Ransom (great name, right?) to encourage her to obey Maleldil's wishes.

This is the classic struggle between good and evil with a very simple definition of each. Good is following God's commandments. Evil is not following them. It is the Garden of Eden played out on an alien planet.

In a less cerebral way, Zenna Henderson's "The People" series of stories brings us face to face with a community of aliens who "Praise the Power" at their good fortune and depend on his/its help while stranded on an "alien" planet which the natives call earth. This easy relationship with the divine seems somehow less threatening when it is practiced by an advanced race of extraterrestrials than when it's your neighbor, saying "Praise God" over a blessing received.

Therefore, science fiction, fantasy, even horror stories provide us with opportunities to explore spiritual, moral, ethical and even theological themes in a manner which can be understandable and appealing to non-believers. Of course, we have to approach it correctly. We'll talk about that in our next post.

Where are the Books?

2007-03-02T01:13:00.000-08:00

By now you should have been teachers, but once again you need to be taught the simplest things about what God has said. You need milk instead of solid food. People who live on milk are like babies who don't really know what is right. Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to know right from wrong.
(Heb 5:12-14)

Yesterday was payday. It's sort of a special day for me. It's my day out on the town. I pay bills, have a nice dinner at a better restaurant. And I browse in bookstores. It's one of my favorite activities. Well, I went to a local Christian bookstore yesterday, and my first question was "Where are the books?" I saw a few magazines on a rack in a corner and a small display of relationship books, but the rest of the entire front of the store was filled with T-Shirts, wall decorations, curios, games, videos, greeting cards, home decorations. I even saw a pack of playing cards featuring Biblical characters.

Over half the floor space of the "book" store was devoted to everything except books. The books were clear in the back of the store.

I don't condemn the store for this layout. They are just responding to the marketplace, I'm afraid. It's easier to take your theology in a cute saying on a wall hanging or T-shirt than to read a commentary or Bible study. The irony of this is that across the street was a secular book superstore, and books are the featured item, even the non-book items are mostly book related like book lights and book marks.

I hope I'm not reading too much into this, but I fear that many Christians are falling into a shallow Christianity. I had a minister friend years ago, commenting on a late night inspirational feature on TV, said, "Sermonettes make for Christianettes." He meant that if all we got were ear-tickling devotional "thoughts," that we would not delve into the depths of the glories of God's Word.

I wonder if in the intervening 30 years since I first heard that statement that we have a generation of Christianettes. We are more likely, if we buy a book at all, to buy the latest "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book than a Bible study, commentary, or study Bible. I even heard about one book which called itself something like "Mint Candy for the Soul." At least Chicken Soup has some nutritional value. Many Christians have become spiritual junk food junkies. They will wave a banner at an anti-abortion rally, but won't spend 10 minutes praying with a pregnant teen thrown out of her home, abandoned by her boyfriend, feeling hopeless and helpless in the big world. Of course, to do the first doesn't take much spiritual strength. The second does. You can't do that on a Chicken soup and Mint Candy diet.

So, what can we do? Several things.

1. Don't confuse a Christian decorated home with a Christian home. It's not the scripture verse wall hanging that is going to make a difference in your family. It will be doing the hard work of loving one another as God loved you, and delving into the word of God to find out what that looks like in daily practice.

2. Buy books that make you think as well as feel. You don't always need a warm, fuzzy feeling at the end of the book for it to be a good book. Some books may even be hard to read, because they require you to think and reason. Those are the books you wrestle with like Jacob with the angel not letting go until you get your blessing of enlightenment.

3. Be a critical consumer of products sold in "Christian" stores. Some stores are simply money-making venues for their owners. Some "Christian" imprints don't even have Christians in charge of deciding what is printed. I saw a book advertised the other day called Christian Yoga. Yoga is a religious practice of the Hindu Religion. Whatever else it is, it is not Christian. Yet, there it is sitting on many Christian bookstore shelves. I don't believe you should boycott the bookstore like some are advising. But don't assume everything sold in a Christian bookstore is doctrinally sound. Read your books with a Bible open next to them.

4. Start and End with the Bible. If books are more important than wall hanging, the Bible is more important than books in your daily diet. You need to be reading the Word regularly and committing parts of it to memory. You need to learn Biblical principles for daily living and understand the moral and ethical code of the Bible. Then filter everything you read elsewhere, even if you got it from a Christian bookstore, though the lens of the Bible.

There's nothing wrong with a wall hanging, some chicken soup or mint candy, but put first things first. Don't forget the main course - the strong meat of the Word of God.

Lord, remind me once again of my priorities in terms of what I feed my spirit with today. Amen

And They All Lived Happily Ever After

2007-02-27T03:21:00.000-08:00

There's a story about a woman whose next door neighbor would come over every Monday morning and ask to borrow a book. The next Monday she brought back the book. When the lady asked her how she liked the book, the answer was always the same, "It was just so wonderful. They got married and lived happily ever after."

The woman started to suspect her friend didn't read the books at all and possibly couldn't read. So, the next time she came by she gave the woman a Bible. Sure enough, a week later, her friend was on the door step smiling. When asked how she liked the book, the woman said, "Oh, this one is the best one yet. At the end they got married and lived happily ever after."

Considering the book of Revelation, that is true, but there's a lot of horrible things that happen before that event. Which raises the question of happy endings in Christian literature.

There was a time in Christian writing that everything had to end on an upbeat note. The sinner got saved. The couple married. The sick person was healed. The farm was saved from foreclosure. Frequently, this occurred through a literal deus ex machina with God performing a miracle making everything turn out good.

This formulaistic, pollyannaish writing began to wear thin on many Christians who demanded a more realistic treatment of the world around them. They knew in the real world the sinner didn't always get saved. The righteous widow often lost the farm. The gravely ill person died. And a new "gritty realism" in Christian writing began to appear. In some cases, the stories were quite dark indeed. It is perhaps an extreme reaction against the unrealistically optimistic view of Christian literature of the past (and, in most places, the present.)

In time, we will likely see a balance resulting in realistic optimism or hopeful pessimism or some other good literary term. However, that is not the point of this essay. What I am considering is the question of the happy ending. Can there be such a thing as a Christian tragedy?

One woman on a Christian writing list argued that happy endings are realistic because things always turn out good for the Christian. Initially, I was tempted to dismiss the statement as a symptom of comfortable Christianity experienced by Christians living in America. I remember reading Fox's Book of Martyrs and needing to take periodic breaks in the reading because of the descriptions of the gruesome tortures inflicted on the Early Church. Yet, when I thought about it, I understood something of what she was saying. Even a "tragic" ending for Christian only leads to his or her heavenly reward.

Yet, it is disingenuous to write stories in which everything always works out all the time. Sometimes no matter how hard you try to make someone understand about the free gift of salvation, if they choose not to accept it, there is nothing we can do to force it upon them. Some will be lost. Can we avoid talking about that particular tragedy and still be true to scripture? When a person stands strong in the Lord and exercises personal and professional ethics she or her won't always get the promotion. Sometimes the ethical worker will be fired by an organization which asserts an "anything goes" policy for making a profit. Sometimes, a Christian will die for the faith. It is happening as you read this blog.

So, what is the balance? Do we only write despairing stories to effect a type of sanctified gritty realism? I don't think that's the answer either. Christian literature needs to have some element of hope even in the darkest story. I like the story of Stephen in the Bible. He is tried and taken to be stoned. As the rocks fall on him he looks up and sees the Lord. There is no miraculous rescue, and none is required. He had finished his course with honor.

Whether it is a simple story of a future Christian business executive fired because he won't exploit the primitive people of an alien planet or the story of a martyr in some future dystopia which persecutes Christians, there needs to be some sort of nobility found in how they meet their fates.

Still, I must say, I do like a happy ending. It's just how we define that which counts.

An Unconventional Christian Dystopia Premise

2007-02-21T18:32:00.000-08:00

It seems that much of current Christian science fiction focuses on a Dystopic vision of the future. Dystopias are the opposite of utopias. They are nightmare visions of the world of tomorrow. Dystopias are a staple of science fiction, although, they seem to have become popular in Christian speculative fiction in recent years. Perhaps it is the influence of the Left Behind series placed during the "Great Tribulation" period described in Revelation . Maybe it is just a good way to build a heart-throbbing, action-filled story. Whatever the reason, they are big part of the Christian science fiction scene.

Most of these dystopias postulate an atheistic/humanistic government persecuting an underground, relatively united, Christian church. However, with the notable exception of the communism of the old soviet union, it's satellite states and modern day China, historically, most religious persecution has come from state-sponsored religious groups rather than from atheistic groups. In other words, it is from states that are not anti-religion, but pro-religion to such an extreme that any variation from the state-sanctioned religious belief system is repressed, violently if necessary.

Lately, I've been thinking that an interesting spin on the Christian Underground Church of the future story would be to place it in a world where one particular "Christian" group has taken the reigns of power.

The persecuted church would be composed of individuals who initially supported the "moral" reforms which may have started out innocuously enough like posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Later modification of the first amendment to allow repression of certain types of "offensive" materials and religions. This could possibly take place under the rationale that certain religious groups spawn terrorism. Since Christians form the majority, repression of these other religions would be easy to condone.

Then Christianity would be designated as the official religion.Again little objection since most Americans considered themselves Christian, whether they actually went ot church or not.

Over time one segment, the most legalistic of the coalition, gains ascendancy. A Ministry of Religion could be established to provide government assistance to religious organizations, but eventually becoming a vetting agency to determine what is or is not a "legitimate religion." Eventually, it becomes an agency of a new inquisition seeking out "heretics." This list of heretical groups grows to include those teaching salvation through repentance and faith alone, and not through works of righteousness, those holding that there is some flexibility in matters of dress and entertainment, those that practice certain rituals rather than those approved by the state, and possibly those who are simply outside the mainstream of Christianity like Charismatics and Pentecostals.

Lest you believe this to be an unlikely scenario, I suggest you read European history. Entire wars were fought over whether to use one element or two in the celebration of the Eucharist. Wycliffe, one of the first men to translate the Bible into English was martyred for that act alone. John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrims Progress, wrote most of that work while imprisoned for teaching a doctrine different than that sanctioned by the English church at the time.

Even in the Americas, our Puritan forefathers, punished variant doctrines with pillories, beatings, exile and death. Indeed, most of us viscerally approve freedom of religion (or speech or the press for that matter) only in so far as it protects my freedom and not necessarily that of those with whom I disagree. So, it is easy to see how a "majority" religion could slowly turn a moral agenda into a legalistic repressive government.

If Christian speculative fiction is part parable, such a story could be not only action-filled and thought-provoking, but could also be an allegory of the constant spiritual struggle between the forces of legalism and grace.

It has been said that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Whether that damnation is personal or societal, it is certainly fair game to explore in fiction. Yes, I am working on a story with this premise. When it's finished, I'll let you know how it came out. But, hey, feel free to create your own nightmare theocracy. If it's good enough, it might even appear in a future issue of Wayfarers Journal.

In the meantime, what are your thoughts? Post them here.

Where do you after you run out of Map?

2007-02-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

Where The Map Ends is a graphically appealing content rich web site focusing on the field of Christian Speculative Fiction. WTME doesn't present a great deal of fiction on it's own site, rather it is more of an "industry" publication featuring interviews, tools for writers and links to other Christian Speculative Fiction sites. In that sense it is a "portal" into those other worlds.

Personally, I found the tools for writers to be most interesting. The how-to articles were alright, but in some ways lacked the depth that I would have preferred as someone with a lot of writing experience, however they could be helpful to the beginner. But most enjoyable were the "toys." These include idea starters, a random story generator and a map creator. You have that alternate world ready to go, but where is everything in that world? You can use this to begin to visualize the terrain.

WTME is visually appealing. I wish I had those graphics. However, I suspect that those accessing through a dial-up connection would need patience waiting for the screen to load. I don't know that for certain, but would love to findout from someone with a dial up ISP. My only irritation was the email newsletter sign up box which extended beyond the content box. But that is a minor design issue.

As with most Christian speculative fiction sites, there was a bit of defensiveness. I guess this is natural since in some quarters the term is considered a contradiction in terms. I'm just not sure we need to be bringing it up all the time. After all, if you have a speculative fiction site, you are "preaching to the choir." I believe our best promotion will be producing quality fiction which stands on strong theological grounds. However, I'm not totally sure we need to seek to convert those who don't like speculative fiction, but to serve those who do.

Where the Map Ends, also like most spiritually-based speculative fiction sites definitely targets a Christian audience, although it is generally free of "churchspeak" which I find refreshing. However, it reminds me of what my friend Tony Whittaker calls "The Old Story about the Old Story." It seems that 90 percent of all Christian web sites target a Christian audience. And I admit that, so far, my promotion for Wayfarers Journal has been in the Christian community, even though the site is designed to be seeker friendly. We all need to also think of how spiritually-based speculative fiction can help reach outside the Christian community to impact the world at large.

Nevertheless, this is a fun, informative site, and a must see for anyone interested in Christian Speculative fiction either as a fan or a writer.

Read other reviews of this site this week at these other blogs:

Nissa Annakindt
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Tessa Edwards
April Erwin
Kameron M. Franklin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Leathel Grody
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
K. D. Kragen
Tina Kulesa
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver
Timothy Wise

Speculative Fiction in Second Life

2007-02-16T00:50:00.000-08:00

"Can Speculative Fiction and Spirituality Co-exist?" is the topic for an online discussion in the virtual world of Second Life, Tuesday, February 20 at 6:30 p.m. (Pacific Time, U.S.) in the Writing and Performance Center (in-world coordinates 231,107,28).

This is an incredible opportunity. Second Life has over 3,000,000 "residents." Many of them are science fiction fans. So, we expect that this could introduce many of them to the idea of Spiritually-Based science fiction and fantasy.

If you want to join in, you will need to download the software for second life and set up an account. The basic account is free. But you might want to practice navigating "in-world" before Tuesday night. But here are the quick instructions for getting to the site:

Log in with your name and password
Click on the button in the lower right corner of your screen marked "Map"
Near the bottom right of the "Map" page, you will see a place to enter coordinates do so and click teleport. That will take you to the Writing and Performance Center.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Of Blog Tours, chats and the Christian Dynamic in Marketing

2007-02-09T01:32:00.000-08:00

I spent much of my young adult life in advertising either selling it or writing it or both. As such, I was part of just about every type of business. There was one thing in common about nearly all of them, they were in competition with someone else selling the same kind of product. And in the advertising business, you were often in competition with the people with whom you worked. The back stabbing in the media made you wonder if you even worked for the same organization. No wonder, the stock prices for Alka Seltzer fell when I got out of the game.

I have been struck by the contrast in Biblical Speculative Fiction world. Consider the blog tour. Basically, it’s a group of writers helping other writers get out the word about their books. Can you imagine GM using it’s commercial time to announce the new models Ford is putting out.

The Ezines are the same way. A number of Christian Speculative Fiction e-zines have published announcements of the launch of Wayfarer’s Journal. And they are doing so enthusiastically, even though, theoretically we are “competitors” for readers and writers. Then there are authors holding chats and blog interviews with other authors, in essence, promoting their books.

But there is an understanding here that by helping each other we help ourselves. As we promote the genre, we build a market for everyone. And while I know this is not unique to Christian publishing, I think in many ways it exemplifies a Christian dynamic which should be present in many areas of life, building each other up and in so doing being built up in return.

Editor of Light at the Edge of Darkness to Guest on "Fab Chat."

2007-02-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

Independent publisher Cynthia Mckinnon will be the featured guest on Fab Chat, hosted by author Karina Fabian, Saturday, February 10, 8 p.m. Eastern (U.S.) Time at http://karinafabian.tripod.com/.

MacKinnon runs The Writers Cafe, a small independent publishing company based in Lafayette, Indiana. A passion for writing has characterized MacKinnon's work from teaching young people and adults, through editing and ghost writing for authors, leading to the creation of her own publishing firm.

"I've worked with a variety of authors and found myself saddened by the reactions some of these people receive from traditional publishing houses. If only I could help the talented writers with publication," MacKinnon says.

Her latest anthology, Light at the Edge of Darkness showcases several sub-genres of speculative fiction including horror, science fiction, dystopia, fantasy, time travel, supernatural. The stories have been organized into sub-genres with some authors writing in more than one category.

FabChat offers writers and fans the opportunity to talk informally with authors, editors and others involved in publishing. Fabian has edited an anthology of Catholic Fiction, Infinite Space, Infinite God, published by Twilight Times Press. For more information, check out http://sisgsf.tripod.com/. Fabian's main website is http://www.fabianspace.com/ .

Light at the Edge of Darkness

2007-02-05T23:16:00.000-08:00

One of the advantages of having an online presence is that you sometimes get perks. One of those perks arrived in my mailbox last week. It was a book, Light at the Edge of Darkness, an anthology edited by Cynthia MacKinnon and published by Writer's Cafe Press. The book features "Biblical Speculative Fiction" which the book defines as " speculative fiction that is written from a Christian world view intended to inspire and entertain readers.

The book covers a wide spectrum of speculative fiction including horror, fantasy, supernatural and science fiction. The mood ranges from light hearted parody, as in Stephen Rice's "At the Mountains of Lunacy" with a light tip of the hat to H.P. Lovecraft and Andre Norton to "Undeniable," a haunting, horrific story of martyrdom and triumph.

Several of these stories project dark times ahead for Christians. Even though, I personally tend not to fall for the more paranoid prognostications of repressive western governments stifling Christianity. Mostly, I believe this because, Satan doesn't need to resort to such extreme measures. The popular media, the greedy televangelists, and the politicizing of Christianity has been doing the job nicely for him over the past 75 years or so with Europe having a head start on the U.S. No one needs to ban the Bible in America. There's one in every home but hardly anyone reads it anyway. Spiritual apathy among non-believers, and secularization of believers has done more in America to neutralize the Christian witness than the persecution of Nero did in Ancient Rome.

However, these apocalyptic tales are powerful, with strong characters, and lots of action. They are not my favorites, but that is a matter of personal taste. The craftsmanship in these stories is superior and the equal of anything to be found in the major science-fiction magazines.

Beware, though, as you read through these stories many may be disturbing. Some for reasons I outlined in another post, but mostly because they cause you to see the world differently. You will meet greedy aliens, doubting martyrs, and a righteous man rewarded for his righteousness ... well, I don't want to give that one away, but it may mess up your theology when you read it.

It is important to remember, that these are works of speculative fiction. That means they are unrealistic by nature. In some ways they are the parables of the 21st century. If you spend too much time nitpicking the theology of aliens or even the ethics of militaristic martyrs, you will miss the power of these stories. So, kick back, relax, and enjoy these stories of Light at the Edge of Darkness.

Light at the Edge of Darkness will be available in April from Writer's Cafe Press.

By the way, read what other bloggers are saying about this book this week. Go to Christian Fiction Review Blog for a list of blogs that will be featuring Light at the Edge of Darkness this week.

Luke Skywalker or St. Luke: The Challenge of Action-Oriented Christian Science Fiction

2007-02-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

[Note: This is the editorial from the inaugural issue of Wayfarers Journal. We welcome comments here]

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
(2Co 10:3-4)

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
(Eph 6:12)

I've read science fiction almost since I could read. In grade school, I read stories of The Mushroom Planet and Madeline L'engle's Wrinkle in Time multiple times. I spent many happy hours with a "shy stegosaurus" who could talk and the children who discovered him. As I grew older I discovered Bradbury, Heinlein, Asimov, Simak, Silverberg, Clarke, and other classic writers. I watched Lost in Space and Star Trek (the original series when it first aired). I like most science fiction from old fashioned space opera to the think pieces. However, when I discovered Christian or Biblical science fiction, I was disturbed by some of the stories. I wasn't disturbed because they were so different than the secular science fiction, but because they were so similar.

Recently, I've read a number of stories dealing with a future society in which Christians are persecuted. That, by itself, doesn't bother me. A staple of science fiction has often been a persecuted class of beings struggling against an oppressive government. Indeed, today in much of the world, Christianity is suppressed or outlawed so these stories can make real for those of us privileged to live in free societies, the plight of the underground church. Ideological persecution has even formed the basis for a number of secular science fiction novels over the years. The Handmaiden's Tale, for instance, focused on a future society in which the government tried to institute the old Mosaic law as the law of the land, albeit in a distorted way.

What is troubling, though, about some of these stories, is that I can't always tell the difference between these Christian heroes and the secular ones other than by ideology and lack of profanity. (Some, striving for realism, even include the profanity.) One story, in particular, had the hero escape prosecution when he is rescued by a paramilitary force dodging blaster bursts. This stands in stark contrast to the tradition of Christian martyrdom in which the Christian prays for his executioners as the stones are thrown or the fire lit beneath their feet.

Perhaps, what is even more troubling, is that I enjoyed the story. It had action, well drawn characters, and an exciting ending. Only when I realized this was supposed to be a story about Christian' martyr standing strong for their faith did it become disturbing.

Certainly, Christian characters in stories can have their flaws. Indeed, they must have them to be believable. However, they should never be comfortable with them. They should be striving to live the Christian life, even if they fail. Part of that Christian life is loving your enemies, praying for those that persecute you, and turning the other cheek even in the face of persecution. These are not my words, they are the words of Jesus. They disturb us too, but they disturb us in a good way because we want to hate those who hate us, to persecute those who persecute us, and the only reason we can see in turning the other cheek is to reach for the .45 we have on the table beside us.

And this is the challenge of writing engaging, action-packed, science fiction, that has believable Christian characters, who act in Christian ways. Does this mean Christian characters can never be violent, be part of an interplanetary police or military force? While I think one could make the case for that, I don't personally believe so. What I am saying is that within that context, they need to be different not only in belief, but in behavior. Or at least striving to do so. That may mean weeping after defending oneself against a pursuer or forgiving a futuristic inquisitor torturing a member of an underground church.

"But," you say, "That's not realistic." And death rays, six-legged aliens, and faster than light travel is? Science fiction transcends reality. It always has. It shows us not only what we are but what we can become (either for good or evil.) In all literature a character's Christianity should set him or her apart from non-Christian characters. They must not only believe differently, they must also act differently. That means that they cannot use carnal weapons, either figuratively or literally, to win a spiritual war. They cannot confuse the agents of the enemy for the enemy himself. Their virtues must bring about the victory and not their vices.

Zenna Henderson: She Held Wonder

2006-12-06T17:38:00.000-08:00

The first time I read any science fiction with a spiritual foundation was when I picked up C. S. Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet in high school, when I took it upon myself to organize their paperback book collection. It was another decade before I ran across any other science fiction which carried with it a sense of the divine.

The writer was Zenna Henderson. She is most famous for a series of stories about The People, A group of humanoid aliens who crash landed on earth during the 19th century. Along with certain "persuasions" or abilities like levitation, telepathy and healing of emotions, they had a everpresent awareness of "The Power." They praise the power, pray to it (him), and follow a morality which flows from this Power. Scripture references mixed with paranormal abilities and a bitter sweet story about a people a long way from a home that had been destroyed a century ago.

Her other short story collections Holding Wonder and The Anything Box contained stories ranging from the serious to the whimsical. Henderson wrote about a teacher giving instruction to a little girl's invisible friend, about angels in coveralls repairing rips in time, about a tonic "for what ails you," about a child who is "the believing kind," and one of my personal favorites about a separatist religious community and a scientific research center just 20 miles apart and the lesson in faith a skeptic learns.

"The Effectives" takes place in the future after a space probe has brought back a deadly disease. The only somewhat effective treatment is a total blood transfusion. There are several research centers, but EDRU - 14 has a much higher recovery rate than elsewhere. A researcher arrives to find out why. The only difference is that much of the blood used came from the town of Away, the home of an Amish-like religious community of "Detachees." The difference? Well, I'll let you try to find the book in your library or purchase it from an online out-of-print store, but it has to do with something the Detachees do while giving the blood.

Another wonderful story is about a couple trying to duplicate some wonderful concoctions by an eccentric relative. But they miss the main ingredient which gives the story it's name "Love Every Third Stir."

These stories are not edgy. Indeed, some would call them syrupy sweet. Sometimes the stories are a bit predictable. But the strong moral basis of the stories, the intriguing premises, and the memorable characters have made these stories favorites for fans over the past 30 years.

The only book currently in print is a 1995 collection of all the stories of The People called The Ingathering.

The other out-of-print books, many of which are available at sites like Amazon.com and Barnes Nobel include:

Pilgrimage: The First Book of the People

No Different Flesh

Holding Wonder

The Anything Box

If you are looking for edgy, socially troubling, apocalyptic type of science fiction, these books are probably not for you. But if you like a good uplifting read touched with the fantastic, pick up one of these books. You might find yourself HOLDING WONDER.

Wayfarers Journal Seeks Writers

2006-12-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

This February a new science fiction e-zine will launch. We are looking for a few good writers willing to produce quality science fiction and literary essays about science fiction and spirituality.

Wayfarers Journal seeks to publish quality science fiction with a spiritual dimension. This does not mean that every story seeks to teach a moral or tries to convert anyone. Indeed, if you want to send a message use Western Union, as the old saying goes. We are seeking stories with strong characters and engaging plots in the best tradition of science fiction. The spiritual component may come as part of a plot twist (discovery of sentient beings who seem to live free of original sin) or as a character trait (the only devout Christian on an interplanetary survey mission). In general, the spiritual aspect should be present, but not overwhelming.

Christian-Influence

I have sometimes referred to this type of writing as Christian-Influence writing. The story does not necessarily revolve around Christianity or spirituality, but rather one of the characters may simply be a Christian just like s/he might be a professor or have blond hair and blue eyes (or in science fiction, the reverse). It will influence how he reacts within the story, but not play a major role in the working out of the plot.

Science Fiction Only

We are not looking for all types of speculative fiction. I love reading fantasy and sword and sorcery stuff. I make my way through the Lord of the Rings Trilogy every few years and The Chronicles of Narnia have a special place in my heart. I even read George McDonald whose work influenced both Tolkien and Lewis. However, I believe in maintaining a focus within any publication. Our focus is science fiction. Dragons are fine if they are part of the natural fauna of a planet in the Orion Nebula and you can build a good biological basis for the fire that comes out of their nostrils. Science fiction takes a kernel of scientific research and extrapolates from that research.

If you do not read the masters of the genre begin to do so. Good models are Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlien, Clifford D. Simak, C.L. Moore, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Robert Silverberg, and Arthur C. Clarke among others. These are the ones who mastered and created the genre. Learn from them.

Our Needs

Short Stories. We will include 1-3 short stories per issue depending on the quality of the submissions. Short stories should be between 1000 – 5000 words. Payment: $10 – 20 for first rights. $5 – 10 for reprint or one time rights. The story will remain on the site indefinitely. However, after six months you may request removal of the story from our archives. This does not imply exclusivity during that six month period. You can sell the story elsewhere during that time as a reprint.

Short-Short Stories. I have always loved the short-short science fiction story. These stories run from 500-1000 words and usually end with a little surprise or a punch line. Payment: $10 for first rights. $5 for reprint or one-time rights. The story will remain on the site indefinitely. However, after six months you may request removal of the story from our archives. This does not imply exclusivity during that six month period. You can sell the story elsewhere during that time as a reprint.

Novella. A literary form almost unique to science fiction is the novella. These are not just long short stories or short novels, but contain elements of each. They tend to develop plot and character more deeply than a short story, but they usually do not have the subplots that are involved in novels. The length we are looking for are 8,000 – 20,000 words. Novella over 10,000 words will be serialized over two issues. Payment: $20 for first rights for each issue in which the story is serialized. $10 for reprint or one time rights. In other words, if the novella is serialized over two issues, you will be paid $40. ($20 if reprint) The full novella will remain on the site indefinitely. However, after the full novella has remained on the site six months you may request its removal from our archives. This does not imply exclusivity during that six month period. You can sell the story elsewhere during that time as a reprint.

Poetry. Science fiction oriented poetry is welcome. Any form is welcome, but if you decide to pursue rhyming poetry be sure the rhymes are not contrived, that the meter scans consistently, and that the line endings are not predictable. Payment: $5-10 for first rights. $5 for reprint or one-time rights. The poem will remain on the site indefinitely. However, after six months you may request removal of the poem from our archives.This does not imply exclusivity during that six month period. You can sell the story elsewhere during that time as a reprint.

Reviews, Essays and Industry News. I am interested in receiving objective reviews of Science Fiction books, films, websites. I am especially interested in reviews of those which have some sort of spiritual emphasis. However, I am not interested in any reviews of L. Ron Hubbard or other scientology related materials.

Literary essays related to the field of Christian or Christian-Influence science fiction are welcome. Discussion of themes, theology, controversies in the field, or the philosophy behind the writing are welcome. Likewise, discussion of spiritual themes found in secular science fiction are welcome. Essays on the future of the genre and it’s acceptance by either the literary or ecumenical community would be appreciated as well.

I am also seeking personal essays about the impact of speculative fiction on one’s own spiritual journey. I know, the science fiction trilogy of C.S. Lewis affected my sense of the numinous, but personal nature of God. What speculative fiction has influenced you?

These reviews and essays may be between 500 – 5000 words. Payment is $10 – 20 for first rights. $5 – 10 for reprint or one-time rights. The review will remain on the site indefinitely. However, after six months you may request removal of the poem from our archives. This does not imply exclusivity during that six month period. You can sell the story elsewhere during that time as a reprint.

Question: What is the difference between reprint and one-time rights?

Reprint rights refer specifically to the publication of a story or article which has been published previously. If you are submitting a previously published item, you must tell me the name of the publication or website which published the piece been published before, but does not guarantee to the publisher that the author will not sell the piece before it is published by the original purchaser of the story. For instance, we are a bi-annual publication. That means we publish twice a year. So, if you sell me an article in March, it will be June before it makes it into print. If you sell me first rights, that means you have to wait until I publish the piece to attempt to sell reprint rights to someone else. However, if you sell me one time rights, you can sell it again in May without any problems.

Question: When do I get paid?

You will be paid within 30 days of acceptance of your manuscript for publication. Payment may be made by check or through a PayPal account (preferred).

Special Guidelines

While the spiritual element in some of the stories may be subtle, remember when you write that this is a Christian publication. That means your work needs to abide by some basic spiritual guidelines.

1. Basic Doctrine. While I do understand that in the working out of your plot, an alien theology may be quite different than orthodoxy from a human perspective. Indeed, this might be one of the wonderful things about speculative fiction from a spiritual perspective to think about ways God may have dealt with other worlds differently than our own.

However, when dealing with human doctrine, you need to conform generally to the Apostles Creed. I’ll allow some flexibility in terms of minor doctrinal issues. For instance, I don’t expect a Catholic Priest and a Pentecostal Missionary to present identical doctrinal statements, but the core of the doctrine needs to be basically Christian orthodoxy.

2. Avoid Capricious Violence. Certainly, you may have an occasion where your main characters need to defend themselves against attack. However, violence for it’s own sake is to be avoided. Likewise, a disregard for sentient alien life forms needs to be avoided. Remember, alien life is often an unconscious metaphor for differences in human cultures. Treat all sentient life in your stories as if it was human. The Christian characters in your stories may participate in violent acts as a last resort, but they should not relish the violence.

3. Avoid Profanity. I know many writers, even Christian writers, feel they need profanity to add realism to their stories. However, this is not true. If you read some of the master science fiction writers of the early 20^th century, you will find that they do perfectly well without the profanity. Read the supplement to these guidelines entitled “Realism with a G Rating” for more details.

4. Avoid Explicit Sex Scenes. Yes, people have sex. I also don’t expect all of your characters to practice celibacy. However, you can close the door metaphorically while the act is in progress. Likewise, your Christian characters should reflect Christian values as regards sexuality. If they commit illicit sex acts, then they should feel guilt because of it. Promiscuity should not be treated as a good thing.

5. Write Well. Yes, this is a spiritual issue. One glorifies God through excellence. Don’t just churn out 2500 words of unpolished prose and send it to me with the assumption I should publish it because it “came directly from God.” God’s word says, “Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as unto the Lord.” (Col. 3.23). Don’t look at your work as the work of God, but rather as an offering of work you are giving unto God. Pray about what you write, then use your skill and your labor to create a work worthy of being read by The King.

Submission Guidelines

1. Send your manuscript to me by email to submissions@wayfarersjournal.com

2. Send the manuscript in one of two ways. First, send it as an attachment in MS-Word, Rich Text or Plain Text formats. No Wordperfect or MAC formats please.