The Apostle Paul knew the importance of a proper approach. In the Book of Colossians he wrote, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Col. 4:2 NIV bold [...]
My non-fiction essay, “Christian Horror: On the Compatibility of a Biblical Worldview and the Horror Genre,” is now available on audiobook. Narrated by veteran voice artist Randy Streu, “Christian Horror” is my attempt to explore the Judeo-Christian roots of contemporary horror, the religious themes that frame much of the horror art, and how evangelical culture [...]
It should come as no surprise that the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), the world’s largest Christian Fiction organization, is primarily comprised of females. I say that ‘shouldn’t come as a surprise’ for several reasons, but mostly it has to do with the demographics of reading/publishing and the demographics of the evangelical church. Exact numbers [...]
Jesus told stories that did not always have a positive or uplifting outcome. Oftentimes, there was ambiguity in their resolve. Sometimes there were images of horror and dread. For example, The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-31) ends with the rich man in a “place of torment,” prevented from returning to warn [...]
Folk horror is sometimes considered “a subtrope of religious horror,” not for its address of organized religion, per se, but for its appeal to broader folkloric rituals, legends, and mythologies. It’s a very tangible intersection between the Land and its Monsters, Old World v. New World, if you would. Interestingly, the genre appears to be [...]
Despite the recent closing of 170 Lifeway bookstores, Christian readers remain optimistic about the market. An article in Forbes magazine reflected this optimism stating, Christian and faith-based books are a bright spot in the overall publishing industry. The “bright spot,” according to the author, is that Christian buyers are loyal to the brand and could [...]
MIKE: Thanks for visiting CW! You’ve just released your second book, Whispers from the Depths, which you published with Janeen Ippolito, a mutual friend. I love what she’s doing over there at Uncommon Universes Press. Can you share with us a bit about how this story found a home there and what your experience with [...]
Munashichi, Future Economic View of Innocence, 2015 Literary subgenres morph at incredible speeds. The reasons why are embedded in a complex web of social, political, psychological, literary, technological, and pop-cultural forces. The genre of Fantasy is a good example of an ever-expanding universe of subgenres which intersect, coalesce, and transmutate into wildly different forms — [...]
A constant topic of debate among my Christian novelist friends has to do with market aim — Should they aim for the mainstream market or the Christian market? One reason that many Christian writers choose to publish in the Christian market is because of a perceived hostility toward religious themes in the general market. According [...]
What follows contains major spoilers… First-time writer/director Ari Aster has described his debut feature film, “Hereditary,” as a “family drama that dissolves into a nightmare.” Indeed, the “nightmare” it descends into is one of familial dysfunction, inherited trauma, grisly deaths, and ritual paganism. But it’s the fated, inescapable draw of evil that most lingers in this [...]
