My first e-book is now available. It’s been a lot of fun to write, a great learning experience, and a wonderful chance to collaborate with others (I’ll talk about that more in my next post). Winterland is currently available at Amazon.com for Kindle downloads, as well as through Smashwords. Apparently, there’s a bit of a [...]
Cynicism is good. Being a cynic is not. At least, that’s the distinction I’ve made. Is it idealistic? Probably. One can cultivate pessimism only so long before becoming a professional misfit. Nevertheless, in a world full of blind men, it’s hard not to feel like a social reject. Especially when I can see what’s coming. [...]
In a recent post, multi-published author and writing instructor Jerry Jenkins challenged this all-too-common sentiment: Don’t ever apologize for wanting to be published. You’d be amazed at how often I hear from would-be writers who say they just want to write for the sake of writing. “I don’t care if it gets published.” Then why [...]
Perhaps the most common objection to graphic elements in Christian fiction goes like this: Objection: You can depict realistic characters without the gory details. And, of course, fans of Christian fiction know exactly what those “gory details” are. Most often, they have to do with language. Occasionally sex, but mostly language. For some reason, Christian [...]
To those who know her, it is no surprise that Rachelle Gardner received the ACFW’s 2011 Agent of the Year Award. Rachelle is smart, hi-energy, and much sought-after among writers. For the record, I have never met Rachelle in person. (I’m hoping that will change next year as I’m planning on attending the ACFW conference [...]
Apparently that term — aspiring writer — is derogatory to some. People who write are writers, they say. Whether or not they are payed or published. Thus, calling someone an “aspiring writer” is the equivalent of calling them a wannabe… even if they haven’t published anything. Of course, if this is true, it shrinks the [...]
Just posted a teaser page for my upcoming digital novella Winterland. The blurb: Summoned into her dying mother’s coma, Eunice Ames must traverse a surreal, apocalyptic dreamscape in search of three generational spirits who have imprisoned her mother’s soul. The Wizard of Oz meets Dante’s Inferno in this Fantasy novella. The Winterland Page includes a [...]
While the term “Christian horror” is still up for debate, the congruence of Christianity and the horrific is not. Perhaps this connection is best illustrated in this line from The Exorcism of Emily Rose, in which the demon-possessed girl writes: “People say that God is dead. But how can they think that if I show [...]
More than once, I have been charged with using this site to generate controversy, to stir the pot, to rock the boat, upset the apple cart, and challenge the status quo. I plead guilty as charged. With a caveat: I believe controversy generates blog traffic. I want traffic. But I also believe this: Some controversy [...]
I must admit, the opinion expressed by Andy Crouch regarding the latest “Christian film” Courageous caught me off-guard. (Thanks to E. Stephen Burnett for highlighting this article.) In How to Respond to Christian Movies that Could Be Better Artistically, Crouch writes: I’ve seen neither FIREPROOF nor COURAGEOUS. My friends who know movies are pretty skeptical [...]
