Admittedly, many of those who read Christian fiction do so to escape the world, rather than engage it; they read Christian fiction to bolster, reinforce, and corroborate their worldview, not challenge it. Which leads me to ask, do Christians read Christian books to sharpen their discernment or to give it a rest? This question assumes [...]

Last week, Rachelle Gardner asked her readers this question: Why are you pursuing traditional publishing? While self-publishing gets a lot of press these days, I found it refreshing to hear authors champion traditional publishing. And boy did they fill it up! At this writing, Rachelle’s post has 200+ comments, most extolling the virtues of traditional [...]

My first novel took me maybe a year-and-a half from conception to completion, and the process, while grueling, was relatively smooth. One thing that aided that process, frankly, was having rotator cuff surgery about midway through. Three-and-a-half months off work sitting in front of the computer does wonders for one’s productivity. And pant size. All [...]

my·o·pi·a  (m–p–)n. 1. A visual defect in which distant objects appear blurred; nearsightedness. Also called short sight. 2. Lack of discernment or long-range perspective in thinking or planning. It is startling how many Christians read only Christian literature. Their defense for this discipline is varied but it usually goes something like this: “The world tears [...]

My friend and fellow blogger, Becky Miller, left a comment yesterday on my now infamous (and what will surely be one of my most viewed posts of 2011) P.S. I Love You. Apparently, I’m still getting flak even when I make a concession. Sheesh! Anyway, I thought Becky’s question was important and felt it would [...]

Train wrecks grab people’s attention. Having someone on board keeps their attention. Exhibit A: Charlie Sheen. Attempting to cash in on his recent celebrity meltdown, this weekend the actor launched his 20-city variety show in Detroit. Apparently, Charlie Sheen bombed. He was heckled, booed, and eventually abandoned by the 5,000+ fans, proving it’s easier to [...]

As a non-romance reader, I’ve pledged to read one CBA romance novel. Counting private emails, my last post garnered 20+ suggestions. I narrowed them down to three authors: Deanne Gist, Francine Rivers, and Siri Mitchell. I downloaded a sample chapter from each on my Kindle and read them. Although I probably liked Siri Mitchell’s craft [...]

If I had to read one CBA romance novel, what novel should it be? Call this an olive branch, a white flag, a peace accord. Or if you want to be nasty, you can just say I caved. I recently exchanged emails with a published CBA “inspirational historical romance writer.” She said she had to [...]

Several weeks ago, one of my characters woke me up. I had been wrestling with a plot problem in my WIP and this character arrived in my subconscious gloaming with a startling suggestion: Kill her. I immediately dismissed the thought, and tucked her back in. But over the next few days, the seed of that [...]