Marcher Lord Press, a new publishing company based in Colorado Springs, Colo., plans to release its Christian fantasy and science fiction novels next October. Founder, former literary agent, 13 year industry vet, Jeff Gerke.
"I've always loved Christian speculative fiction-Christian fantasy, science fiction, time travel, supernatural thrillers, the works," Gerke said. "But I was always frustrated that these novels seemed to get short shrift in the industry. And so I decided to do something about it. - GerkeFantasy author steers movie watchers from Golden Compass
Steeple Hill Harvest FestivalI'm sorry for that last email about the interview on the Sacramento TV station. I mean for the way that it started out. I try not to bring you any negativity in these emails, but I needed to vent to someone who would understand my plight. I mean I took a beating on that press tour. But the more they tried to get me down the more you all had my back. WOW!!! So much so that not only did millions of you pile into those 2,000 screens last weekend but after you all saw that interview that Janet and I did; you started an email campaign that ended in this man going on air and giving an apology. He got so many emails that it crashed the computer system at the TV station. The other employees couldn't get emails from what I understand. - Tyler PerryNEW!! LI Historical Line
"There is in every person an inward sea, and in that sea there is an island and on that island there is an altar, and standing guard before that altar is 'the angel with the flaming sword.' Nothing can get by that angel to be placed upon the altar unless it has the mark of your inner authority. Nothing passes "the angel with the flaming sword" to be placed upon your altar unless it be a part of the fluid area of your consent.' This is your crucial link with the Eternal."-an excerpt from With Head and Heart, an autobiography of Howard Thurman.
This weekend I took my Girl Scout troop to see the play adaptation of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe at our local community dinner theater. One of our big sister Girl Scouts--Lindsey-- who has a major part in the play is moving away, so the girls were excited to see her perform. It was a bittersweet moment for me. This young women epitomizes the kind of faithful, passionate Christian I hope for our daughter, Selah to become. I had hoped and prayed that Lindsey would be in Selah's life longer, because she looks up to her so much. And she was a fantastic cheap, babysitter.
So we ate and watched. As the story unfolded I watched our girls faces. They were locked in. They cried when Aslan sacrificed himself, and they cheered when the White Witch died. 9Lindsey was the White Witch, but they didn't mind!) But what happened next held my heart. I saw their minds churn until it ignited a flame that I know-- we parents know-- has always been inside them, that is inside all of us.
It is an eternal flame. Once turned on we cannot help, but seek it. We hunt it. We thirst for it. No matter what we do or how far away we think we are that light finds us and warms our very core every time. It is unstoppable only if we disconnect, drift away and get lost.
And that drifting concerns me. As an artist, a mother and a creation of the Master Artist why do I see myself as a vase when He created me to be an azalea? Why am I fighting my guardian angel? When did I become the White Witch?
Continue reading "The White Witch vs My Flame Wielding Angel" »
Have you shared your spiritual life story with yourself?
." What I discovered is that she--like me-- has struggled on her soul's journey, worried whether her children would find their faith, and wondered if her life as an artist was what God wanted for her.
is introducing
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brandilyn Collins is a best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense™. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline “Don’t forget to b r e a t h e…® ” She’s so well known in the industry there’s actually a club for her non-readers. That’s right. The Big Honkin’ Chickens Club (BHCC) members are proud of the fact that they’re too wimpy to read Brandilyn’s intense fiction. Now and then one of them tries. Bribing works pretty well. (Just ask Deb Raney.) Somehow they live to tell the tale.
Carla stared at the gun and David Thornby—or whatever his name was. Her mind split in two, one side pleading this was some sick joke, the other screaming it was all too real.“Collins tops herself by creating a suspenseful nonstop thrill ride … Truly the best Christian Fiction suspense title so far this year.”
– Library Journal, starred review
“Crimson Eve is Collins at her very best. It left me feeling as if I’d climbed Mount Everest without oxygen … I didn’t think Brandilyn could outdo herself after reading Coral Moon. She did.”
–TitleTrakk.com
“I’ve never edited a more tightly crafted, deftly woven, compellingly written book.” –a Crimson Eve editor, with 20 years experience
“This is your best book! I could not stop reading!” – one of many readers with similar responses
Read about Violet Dawn and Coral Moon, books one and two in the Kanner Lake series.
Do you know someone who’s never read a Brandilyn Collins novel? Surely no such person exists. However, should you scrounge up such a friend—someone who enjoys suspense—here’s a special offer from Brandilyn. Be among the first 50 people between now and October 21, 2007 to e-mail her assistant at gayle.brandilyncollins@gmail.com with the person’s name, e-mail address and street address. (Due to exorbitant overseas mailing costs, United States residents only, please).
A signed copy of Crimson Eve will be sent to your friend—free—along with an e-mail from Brandilyn announcing the book is on its way, courtesy of you. (Don’t worry. Brandilyn won’t spam these email addresses. She just wants your friend to know who to thank.) No worries that this story is third in the Kanner Lake series. Each book stands alone. Brandilyn is convinced your friend will so love Crimson Eve, he/she will surely reciprocate with expensive chocolate.
with us.Sandi: Jeremy Cramer, the next Einstein of research, is a medical resident specializing in infectious diseases. While working on a way to revive water submersion victims, he makes surprising discoveries, while also living with massive guilt over incidental infections that occur (which he could have prevented). Even as his marriage teeters, his career continues to skyrocket. Then, with a few twists along the way, he finds everything he has fought for threatened by the most personal, most heart-wrenching, choices of all.
How did you come up with this story? Was there a specific 'what if' moment?
The story had a thousand or more “what if” moments. I’m pursuing a PhD in Aesthetic Studies, and I worked on the setting, characters, a lot of the plot, as well as my narrative voice during three novel-writing classes taught by a novelist who writes fiction reviews for Publishers Weekly. And I got some great feedback from fellow students who don’t believe in Christ about ways to address faith issues more naturally. I also took a Dante class, which influenced my choice to give my characters five of the seven deadly sins. (I’m saving the other two for a future work.)
But the elements in the plot designed to keep readers up at night came through a brainstorming session with medical doctor, William Cutrer, with whom I’ve coauthored three medical novels.
What is the most difficult part of writing for you or was when you first started on your writing journey?
I still struggle with expressing character emotion. I feel like I’ll insult the reader if I stop to say “the shock of the news hit like a two-by-four in the back of the head.” I figure if I tell the horrible circumstance, the reader has enough imagination to feel what any normal soul would feel. I want to say simply “His dad died in a plane crash,” and let the reader fill in the emotional blanks. Yet everybody experiences shock and grief differently. For some the room spins. For others it shrinks. For some it grabs in the pit of the stomach. Or it feels like a physical jolt. It’s part of my job as a developer of character to choose how this character will react and respond. When the emotions get intense, I need to slow down and let the reader enter the character’s head. But I’d rather get on with the plot.
Take us through your process of writing a novel briefly—from conception to revision.
Once I have a germ idea, I come up with the beginning, middle, and end. Then I figure out the in-between points. Next, I create the main characters. I have four pages of questions I answer for each. About thirty percent of novel-crafting for me is the pre-writing imaginative work on the plot and character sketches. Then I choose a setting. I ask myself how I can use setting to communicate something. I try to choose a setting that communicates on a deeper level. All the time I’m making these choices, I deliberate about the best way to tell the story. First-person? Third-person? Who will be the main POV character? Why?
After that I craft a proposal. It starts with a one-paragraph synopsis. While my agent shops it around, I develop the summary into a chapter-by-chapter outline. And then I make a file for each chapter and start dumping in ideas.
When my agent has some success, he calls. Here’s what happens from there…
Editorial person really likes it
He or she takes it to the marketing meeting
I wait forever for that meeting to happen
Marketing approves it
I wait for them to agree on an offer
They issue an offer
I reel from the shock of how low it is
I negotiate
I wait for them to draw up the contract
I receive and sign the contract
I write the book
I send the book to the publisher.
They send the first half of the advance
I spend it all in one place
I wait for them to edit it
I wait a while longer for them to edit it
They send back the manuscript with lots of changes needed immediately
I edit it again
I wait
And wait
They send a galley proof, which they need back immediately
I edit it yet again
I watch helplessly as the release date gets delayed--again
I wait forever for my progeny to arrive in the mail
Finally, I hold my masterpiece in my hands
I find a typo
Come back Nov. 12 to learn more about Sandi's writing process and how her faith keeps her spirit smiling. Think you may forget? then Subscribe to christianfiction by Email .
is the story of father and a daughter he has never known. Not as funny as Disney's the Gameplan, but filled with faith and as much tenderness.
Marriage Tops the MoviesFox Faith's First Gospel Movie
TP has blazed such a trail that Fox Faith is releasing January 2008 movie based on another gospel playwright, Rev. Payton's hit gospel play, "A Good Man is Hard to Find." The CW's Golden Brooks[Girlfriends] and CBS' Hill Harper[CSI New York]will star.
Win a romantic getaway to Lake Tahoe with the one you love! Send LionsGate a story about how you make your relationship work and they will send the two of you to a romantic getaway to Lake Tahoe. Send email to whydidigetmarried @ lionsgate dot com. Include in the subject matter "contest submission." Click the pic for official rules.
Blog Tours: Amy concludes Lisa T. Bergren's The Betrayed Blour. Kirsten Billerbeck's The Trophy Wives still moving along. Mary Demuth shares the success and suprises of her blog tour. Tricia Goyer at Writer-Lee.
Acclaimed suspense thriller author, Creston Mapes is my friend and write-or-die bro. Praise Jesus! With three books under his belt, he stepped away from his busy schedule and darling family to chat with me about rock stars, homeless millionaires and scheduling our next writing date.
....which, as you say, is kind of a "detective," "mystery." I guess I've come to like to call it a psychological thriller. I've always loved the newspaper business, the daily beat of a reporter, and all the power and thrill those guys have. It was a fun book to write. My buddy, author Mark Mynheir (The Void), says he really feels like I found a good "voice" in this new book....the voice of the reporter, Hudson Ambrose. So far other readers and reviewers are agreeing and I'm thrilled with that.Dee: How did Multnomah support you building this book?
Dee: Why "Nobody" as a title?
Dee: Will we meet Hudson again?
Dee: Why the poem, "I Stand at the Door" at the beginning of this book?
Dee: Do all your stories have to have a message?
Dee: Do you think Christian Fiction has an obligation to?
Dee: Theme before story?
Dee: Advice for male writers?
Dee: What's next for Creston?
Dee: When are we going to hang out again?
Since I've been getting a lot of hits and searches for Christmas play, here's a scene from Hope of Christmas the Stage Play. Enjoy
Last week my computer crashed. Seven years of magazine articles, book reviews, critical essays, short stories and novels gone. My computer was old, too old for a recordable CD drive, too old to remove everything, and too expensive to store properly. My James told me not to worry. He would slave my hard drive and retrieve my files for me on his days off. But I have a secret. Don’t tell a soul. When that computer crashed a huge burden lifted from me. I felt free.
Continue reading "Does Your Writing Life Need a Resurrection?" »
1. Bookgiveaways: Camy Tang is giving away Kristen Billerbeck's The Trophy WIves Club. Tamera Alexander(Bethany House) has a book giveaway. I didn't know she once lived so close to me. Click here for details. Another Bethany House book giveaway, Beverly Lewis' The Parting at Callapidder Days Blog.Dee: Can we agree that the Lord has something for us to say and apparently we haven't said it enough, so it has come back again? Or is that just my crazy talk?
Olympia: Yes, God gives us all something to say. The choice is ours. The choice is up to the person. You can either use the gift that you are given or let it buildup in your mind and soul and never be used. I often wonder where unused gifts go, if they lend themselves to your children after you are dead or they die with you in your grave. God has something for me to say, for the characters I write to say, and I am only executing that love through the characters and their lives.
Dee: I host an online column and forum where I've spoken with many published and self-published writers. Most of them say that the publishing industry is racist? When I read your response on this topic at Mozaicbooks.com I was thrilled. You said, "A writer must first write the novel of his or her life. The novel that causes one to lose sleep and body and pride. The novel that comes straight from the bone. If this is done, when this is done, the doors will open. And he or she will walk through, regardless of what race he or she is." Do you think that some of us writers are too focused in trying to make a profit or a name for themselves instead of putting their focus in their writing?
Olympia: Each writer's story is unique to himself or herself. My focus is ALWAYS on the characters. Nothing else matters. If I think there is racism in the world, my characters tell that story. If there is injustice in the world, I allow the characters to speak. It's not my job to worry about what the world is doing, only to write the story and injustice of the earth through the characters. If you focus on these things while writing, your writing becomes purposeful. Let the characters create the purpose. If they catch on to your internationalisms, they won't come out to play.
Read the entire interview here.
If you missed Christian Comedienne, Anita Renfroe on Good Morning America this morning, then here's the video of one of her funniest songs, MomSense. I saw her this summer at Women of Faith. To me her funniest song is her rendition of Faith Hill's Breath. Thought I'd hit you with some humor this Tuesday. :) Listen, then comment.
Congratulations to this year's Genesis Award Winners. I have a few notes for some of my friends. :)
Contemporary Romance
3rd place: Jennifer Hudson Taylor, By His Plan
2nd place: Jennifer Lynn Cary, On The Court
1st place: Audra Harders, Rough Ride
Historical Romance
3rd place: Audra Harders, Precious Possessions
2nd place: Jennifer Hudson Taylor, Promised Blessings
1st place: Pam Hillman, Stealing Jake's Heart
Romantic Suspense
3rd place: Suzan Robertson, The Circle Game (Way to go, girl!)
2nd place: Dineen Miller, Manna Reign
1st place: Marci J. Burke, Shadow of Doubt
Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Allegory
3rd place: Rebecca Grabill, Out of Darkness
2nd place: Chris Mikesell, Revival (What!!!!!)
1st place: Sally A. Apokedak, The Kisses of an Enemy (good going, Sally)
Historical Fiction
3rd place: Marcia Gruver, Love Never Fails AND Yvonne Anderson, Mom's Mirror
2nd place: Tina Helmuth, Hidden Snares
1st place: Carla Stewart, A Dandelion Day
Young Adult
3rd place: Sally Apokedak, Prisoners of the Throne (again!)
2nd place: Linda Fulkerson, The Rod of Schmazel
1st place: Rachael Phillips, Song of the Orphan Train
Contemporary Fiction
3rd place: Myra Johnson, Pearl of Great Price
2nd place: Angie Poole, Gravehopping With Myrna
1st place: Jennifer Griffith, Gumbo Ya Ya
Women's Fiction
3rd place: Kathleen Sprout, The Choice
2nd place: Ane Mulligan, When the Wind Blows (Ane, stop entering!!! :) so i can go for it next year)
1st place: Kristine Pratt, Identity Theft
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
3rd place: Janet Rubin, Beneath the Steeple
2nd place: Gina Holmes, Deception Burning (You, too, Gina!!!)
1st place: Jane Robertson, Curst Be the Tie
Chick/Mom/Hen/Lady Lit
3rd place: Jenness Walker and Tracy Bowen, Bliss
2nd place: Georgiana Daniels, Honey Do Inc.
1st place: Carrie Padgett, Oh Shop It
Click here for details.
Only the first 5000 submissions can enter, so enter today!
Anyone entered? Anyone have drawbacks as to why not?
Demon
: A MemoirChapter One
It was raining the night he found me. Traffic had slowed on Massachusetts Avenue, and the wan light of streetlamps reflected off the pavement. I was hurrying on without an umbrella, distracted by the chirp of a text message on my phone, trying to shield its illuminated face from rain and the drizzle off storefront awnings. There had been a mistake in my schedule, an appointment that I didn’t recognize and that I had stayed late at the office for — until six forty-five — just in case. Our office manager was texting me from home now to say she had no idea who it was with, that the appointment must have belonged on Phil’s calendar, that she was sorry for the mistake and to have a good night.
I flipped the phone shut, shoved it in my bag. I was worn out by this week already, and it was only Tuesday. The days were getting shorter, the sun setting by six o’clock. It put me on edge, gnawed at me, as though I had better get somewhere warm and cheerful or, barring all else, home before it got any darker. But I was unwilling to face the empty apartment, the dirty dishes and unopened mail on the counter. So I lowered my head against the rain and walked another two blocks past my turnoff until I came to the Bosnian Café. A strap of bells on the door announced my entrance with a ringing slap.
I liked the worn appeal of the Bosnian Café with its olfactory embrace of grilled chicken and gyro meat that enveloped me upon every arrival and clung to me long after leaving. That night, in the premature darkness and rain, the café seemed especially homey with its yellowing countertops, chipped mirrors, and grimy ketchup bottles. Cardboard shamrocks, remnants of a forgotten Saint Patrick’s Day, draped the passthrough into the kitchen, faded around their die-cut edges. A string of Christmas lights lined the front window, every third bulb out. On the wall above the register, a framed photo of the café’s owner with a local pageant queen, and another with a retired Red Sox player, had never been dusted. But no one, including me, seemed to mind.
I stood in the entry waiting for Esad, the owner, to notice me. But it was not the bald man who welcomed me.
It was the dark-haired stranger.
I was surveying the other tables, looking for inspiration — chicken or steak, gyro or salad — when he beckoned. I hesitated, wondering if I should recognize him, this man sitting by himself — but no, I did not know him. He impatiently waved again, and I glanced over my shoulder, but there was no one standing in the entryway but me. And then the man at the table stood up and strode directly to me.
“You’re late,” he said, clasping my shoulder and smiling. He was tall, tanned, with curling hair and a slightly hooked nose that did nothing to detract from his enviable Mediterranean looks. His eyes glittered beneath well-formed brows.His teeth were very white.
“I’m sorry. I think you have the wrong person,” I said. He chuckled.
“Not at all! I’ve been waiting for you for quite some time. An eternity, you might say. Please, come sit down. I took the liberty of ordering for you.” His voice reminded me of fine cognac, the Hors d’Age men drink aboard their yachts as they cut their CohÃbas.
“You have the wrong person. I don’t know you,” I insisted, even as he steered me toward the table. I didn’t want to embarrass him; he already seemed elegantly out of place here in what, for all practical purposes, was a joint. But he would feel like an elegant fool in another minute, especially if his real appointment — interview, date, whatever — walked in and saw him sitting
here with me.
“But I know you, Clay.”
I started at the sound of my name, spoken by him with a mixture of familiarity and strange interest, and then I studied him more closely — the squareness of his jaw, the smoothness of his cheek, his utter self-possession — wondering if I had indeed met him before. But I hadn’t, I was certain of it now.
Sample from Demon / ISBN 1-60006-123-0
