A Literary Paradise: Let the Lion Eat Straw

Let the Lion Eat Straw

My online buddy, Chris read my rant about promoting christian novelists of color.

Chris emailed me and asked:

What titles will hook us[white Christians] so we keep seeking out fiction by African-American authors? ... The Devil's having a field
day with our crappy handling of our racial squeamishness (we don't want
to presume and we don't want to offend -- so we do nothing). It needs to
stop. Help put an end to it. I want to read a good book. Period. What do you recommend?

Before I introduce a book that I am recommending this week as a great starter to reading christian themed fiction written by non-white authors, Chris, let me just say that I appreciate you coming to me with a very candid response(I didn't quote his entire email here.) When I go into a bookstore I ask for whatever book I want regardless of race. I don't think how others will think if I say I am a big fan of Thomas Hardy, Amy Tan and Sue Monk Kidd. As a christian I don't squirm from reading street fiction, I read what I want if it's good. The books that I will recommend on my blog are books that I have went through with a fine tooth comb. Because my little name(The Reaper) means a lot to me, I want to bring quality fiction to you.

So starting off this Primer, I recommed Let the Lion Eat Straw written twenty-five-years ago. Harper Collins has republished the critically acclaimed book. And I am reviewing it for Mosaic Literary Magazine.

Although this book is not a CBA title, it is christian themed and chock full of biblical choruses that crescendo until the main character, Abeba Torch leaves the proverbial stage. One of the most illuminating passages in this book is when Abeba accepts her illness:

It is God in the house when the curtains lift gently at the windows, and a young child sucks his itching gums. We do not understand the mysteries of God. God the winter. Summer, Septembers. Moody dark tones of fathers dying. The splash and laughter. Children playing.

-excerpt from Ellease Southerland's Let the Lion Eat Straw

For those of my nonblack sisters and brothers in Christ it would be glorious for you to read this book. For my bros and sis, it is a great reminder of how far we have come and how far we must go. It is short(186 pages,) it is lyrical and personifies the beauty of the human condition.

I will continue my discussion of this book throughout the week. And if you are with me, and hanging on to learn more about God through literature. Let us read the biblical text that this story symbolizes. Isaiah 11:6- God's message of World Peace/A New Heaven--what Dee's Christian Fiction hopes to accomplish.

Thanks, Chris.
Thanks, Creston Mapes for coming out and reading Dark Star at thirdthursdays.
Thanks, readers.

Writing to see what the end's gon' be,
Dee

Christian Fiction Sheds Preachy Tone for Sales

I don't know if George Bush had an impact on this, but something to think about. Click on title for full article.

-Dee


China Daily, Updated: 2005-06-23 10:58

Christian books test boundaries as sales surge

According to the Book Industry Study Group, which uses data from all sectors of the industry, total U.S. book sales rose 2.8 percent in 2004 to $28.6 billion, while religious books saw 11 percent growth to nearly $2 billion...Christian fiction too, long belittled as either low-quality dross or frivolous and a waste of time is enjoying a boom that has been linked by some to George W. Bush's presidency.

Joan Marlow Golan, executive editor of Steeple Hill, an imprint of romance publisher Harlequin dedicated to "faith-based" fiction, said the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks were "very important in terms of the growth of Christian fiction."

Last year, Steeple Hill launched an imprint of "hip, fun and smart fiction for modern and savvy women of faith." Golan said. "My first thought was Christian girls just want to have fun too, so why not do a variant of chick lit."

Another publisher offering Christian chick lit is privately held Random House whose Broadway imprint will release "Emily Ever After" in July, the story of a country girl coming to New York. Doubleday-Broadway recently announced plans to more than double the sales of its religion unit.

Golan said Steeple Hill was also trying to shed the preachy tone of some Christian fiction. "It's rather tedious if characters talk like pastors giving a sermon."

(Agencies)


Related article link
Reuters: Same articl, but includes Dekker and Kingsbury. 3 pages long

The Chronicles of Narnia Trailer

I'm excited about this-C.S. Lewis's novel turned movie The Chronicles of Narnia. If you have Mozilla, the trailer won't show. Use Internet Explorer or Avant. It's a short teaser.

Writing to see what the end's gon' father,
Dee who's needs a guest blogger for tomorrow and/or Friday.

smackberry: Amazon is your friend... Really!

smackberry: Amazon is your friend... Really!

More fun stuff for ya.

Christy O'Flaherty, Content Manager for Thomas Nelson gives a candid look at Amazon.com's website and how the site works for the author.

Writing to see what the end's gon' be,
Dee who still seeks a guest blogger for tomorrow and/or Friday!

You Know Where You're From...If

Click on the title and it will direct you to a fun quiz you can play between writing breaks(hint hint.)

Promising to supply some fun this week,
Dee who needs a guest blogger for tomorrow and FRiday

Writer-lee: Fiction Celebration

Writer-lee: Fiction Celebration

The June 2005 edition of the Celebration of Christian Fiction is up.

We were asked to write to the quote by E.B.White – “Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.” But some have posted other thoughts as well.

Somehow I am in the Celebration twice as a blogger and as a subject. Check it out and I hope you participate in next month's celebration.

Writing to see what the end's gon' be,
Dee who is seeking a guest blogger for Thursday and Friday

Dee Needs a Vacation/GuestBlogger

Hey. I have family business that sends me to the swamps this weekend. Usually I keep up with my blog, but I have a critical review to write for a literary journal, a short story to tweek to submit to StorySouth for my annual rejection(hadn't had one all year, so I know its about that time for one,) and to do some research(oral interviews and iconography studies) on an African American/Seminole History and Burial Grounds of South Georgia collection I've been working on for three years.(Didn't know I was that smart did you?)
Anyway...
I need a guest blogger to pretend to not be me for a day or two. You don't have to submit anything as scathing as my usual stuff. My soap box is on hiatus for a moment. What I would like is someone who really thinks christian fiction is as useless as eating fish food.:) Anyone game?
Hit me up here or at vidae at writing dot com.