Submission Call: Mark Gilroy

2. Cheer-Me-Up Book — Mark Gilroy Communications

* We're still taking submissions for our newest project, a fun, cheer-me-up book. We're looking for a mix of lengths and genres-stories, poems, inspirational essays and devotion-style Bible studies, how-to's, lists, activities, factoids, anything that will give the reader a little boost.
* Feel free to send in as many submissions as you'd like; we'll send a note when we're getting ready to close the book.
* Writer's guidelines:
* Stories should keep a sense of whimsy and lightheartedness, even when dealing with tough issues and difficulties. This will be a Christian inspiration book, but some portions of the material can and should be general life principles and humor.
* E-mail submissions are preferred: Send to Jessica and/or Mark. You can also send via post to: Mark Gilroy Communications; 6528 E. 101st St. Suite 416; Tulsa, OK 74133-6754.
* We'd like to keep stories below 1,000 words, though longish stories (800-1000 words) are more than welcome. Shorts are also welcome.
* Upon acceptance, we'll provide a gift of appreciation anywhere from $20 to $75, evaluating each piece based on length, etc.
* Please feel free to contact us with questions, comments, or ideas. 918-607-0069 (phone) / 918-298-0041 (fax) Email

Dee

Writing In the Spirit

A half hour ago I cranked out the first draft of my conversion scene short story for the faith*in*fiction contest. Okay, Mahalia (Mahalia Jackson is still singing in my ears.) We--my spirit and the Holy spirit--cranked out first copy of my short, Short.

How do I know this?

Before I began to devote all my writing to faith based I used to write anything(articles, fiction) for a particular subject. If I wanted to write something for Carriage House Review, I'd write something scary. For Arabella, romance. You know the spiel. Anyway...it would take me a while to find the atmosphere for my story. More time to visualize my main characters, and even more to get into my characters psyche. But when I write in the spirit it is almost as if I have been haunted. No. Possessed. Not with a character nor a demon or a ghost, but with the Holy Spirit. She has a story to tell that will work better than what I came up with. She has a story to tell that sounds so true I feel a chill run down the back of my arm. Girlfriend tells the story and God emerges from the shadows. She tells the story and by the time I'm done bamming the thing out on the computer I'm exhausted. I have to go and run through the house. Jump rope for about a minute. Or crank up Amerie's 1 Thing, or Coldplay's Speed of Sound. Both songs have had me on lock most of the summer. Then Mahalia puts me back in perspective. I'm thinking Mary Mary's Heaven might kick it up a knotch, though. Yeah. Heaven's the joint. It'll to take me through my high, so that I can come down and get back to writing.

Does this happen to you? I never became exhausted writing for just profit. What say you?

Dee

Prayer Requests 3 Men

Usually I don't do this, but I know I am on one accord with you.

My prayer requests:

My dad. David:
He had to go into the hospital last night. He lives in Valdosta, Georgia. He has an infection and a high fever and he's in a lot of pain. Also, pray for his spirit. My dad is a retired Marine, and since the war in Iraq he has had a lot of flashbacks. He's started drinking again and stopped going to church.

My boyfriend. Gaspard:
He started is final rounds of clinical this month. He is in grad school for respiratory therapy. During this time he works at the hospital twelve + hour shifts. It is our silent time. He gave me his new number to call him, and I lost it. God, have mercy. Pray I find it or he calls...soon.

My brother, my twin. David Vidal:
He is the chicken king of Georgia. Just left his four year plant manager gig at Tyson Chicken now he is a plant supervisor at Gold Kist chicken. This is what happens when you grow up feeding chickens before you go to school. I love Big Dave. Send me a case of chicken why don't you. He's going through a divorce. And I don't want him to do it. But it's almost done. Pray for his spirit. His old minister is his ex-father-in-law.

My sister-in-law, Shonda.
Shonda is an Airwoman(Serves in the Air Force.) Shonda, my step-brother Marc and their kids have been living at Daddy's, since the Hurricane. The baby had to be lifeflighted to Jacksonville. Pray for her recovery.

Kiondra.
She's still missing. We haven't heard from her, since last Monday. She went home to N'awlins to bring her family here to Atlanta. She's a church member at Saint Phillip.Pray for word from her.

For your inspiration. Mahalia Jackson has been singing Move on Up a Little Higher in my ear this morning. That's right. She lives. Hallelujah! Click on this site to hear what I'm hearing right now. http://www.emusic.com/album/10863/10863488.html

I have some exciting fiction news to talk about later. But now I have to work on my novel and the faith*in*fiction short story. I'm pulling double duty./

I want to throw my church handkerchief out(black southern church folk know you through the handkerchief when the preacher or the singer takes you a little higher) to my Sunday School Class at McKendree United Methodist in Lawrenceville: Jason,Jami, Andy, Kim, Darlene, Doug, John and Sweet Denise. They have came by and taken care of Selah when I was sick last week. Brought me a washer and dryer. And helped me look for my mother this weekend(I'm saving that story for another entry.)I am not a member of McKendree. I am the only African American in that class. I am the only Democrat in that class. And I am the only single parent in that class. But they treat me like a queen and Selah like a princess. God, Bless them.

Bless all of you. Listen to Mahalia. Congratulate Claudia and let's write on to see what the end's gon' be,
Dee

PS. Oprah's live in N'awlins today.

Dee's Labor Day Christian Fiction Weekend Roundup

1. Anne Rice speaks about New Orleans racial legacy. Great article.

2.Check out Focus on Fiction. I have a review of Tia McCollors' A Heart of Devotion on there. Let me tell you I will be buzzing Tia's second novel throughout next year. She has me hooked already. Did I tell you I'm with Focus on Fiction now?

3.For the last two weeks most people who have come to my site have come to read my entry on Anne Rice's next novel, Christ the Lord out of Egypt. Thanks, for stopping by. I hope you see that we have more to offer here.

4.This week I will post my review of Creston Mapes'Dark Star: Confessions of a Rock Star Idol here and on Amazon. Creston, here's a headsup. :)

5.Marina Woods, my partner in mercy here at Christian Fiction, will be planning the 23rd annual Romantic Times Magazine Booklovers Convention in Daytona Beach, Florida. May 2006. She's busier than me.

6. A September Book Recommendation- Linda Hudson-Smith's Sacred Sons. BET New Spirit. Romance in Color(another place you can find my reviews) has a great interview there. I reviewed this book for Romantic Times.

7. Christian publisher Baker Publishing Group will match all donations made by its employees for the Katrina relief efforts, with donations distributed through International Aid. Maybe Dave Long at Bethany House(a part of Baker) will set up a tip jar at Faith*in*Fiction for us to donate and help the cause. Just a hint, don't ask Dave.

8. Deanne Gist cracks top ten in CBA

September 2005 CBA Bestellers List

Ranking Title Author/Publisher
1 (5) Just Above a Whisper Lori Wick, Harvest House, p
2 (7) Fame Karen Kingsbury, Tyndale, p
3 (11) The Revelation Beverly Lewis, Bethany House, p
4 (14) One Tuesday Morning Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan, p
5 (15) Monster Frank Peretti, WestBow (Nelson), c
6 (18) Redeeming Love Francine Rivers, Multnomah, p
7 (19) Moonlight on the Millpond Lori Wick, Harvest House, p
8 (26) Breaker's Reef Terri Blackstock, Zondervan, p
9 (32) Beyond Tuesday Morning Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan, p
10 (37) A Bride Most Begrudging Deeanne Gist, Bethany House, p
11 (40) Evidence of Mercy Terri Blackstock, Zondervan, p
12 (42) The Ezekiel Option Joel Rosenberg, Tyndale, c
13 (44) The Rising Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins, Tyndale, c
14 (49) Oceans Apart Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan, p
15 The Covenant Beverly Lewis, Bethany House, p
16 Unforgotten Kristen Heitzmann, Bethany House, p
17 Redemption Gary Smalley & Karen Kingsbury, Tyndale, p
18 Seasons Under Heaven Beverly LaHaye & Terri Blackstock, Zondervan, p
19 A Perilous Proposal Michael Phillips, Bethany House, p
20 London Refrain Bodie Thoene, Tyndale, p

More news and hints for later. Now I have to install a washer and get back to my WIP. I have to make up a lot of time. Hopefully one day I will be newsworthy.

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

Separate, But Equal: How Large is God?

DeWayne Wickman of USA Today wrote an article, A religious man — not right, not left, about TD Jakes stance on Christianity and politics.

Gayle White, Staff Writer The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, asked Bishop T.D. Jakes: "We[journalists] have arguments about whether we're a Christian nation. ... How do you advise your congregants?"

Jakes: "I don't think we are a Christian nation. And I don't think we were meant to be. ... As we continue to try to politicize God, or market God, or say that America is Christian, or that God is with one (political) party, or that God is here and not there, it only further points to the fact that we don't understand how big God is — and how great God is.

How Big God is?

This revelation spoke to me. Outside of my agreement with Jakes statement I thought this issue of what is God or limiting God is relevant to christian fiction as well.

In what ways do we limit our writing?

A while back I used to only write with African American characters, but when I thought about my life and the fact that I have white, moroccan, egyptian prayer partners, confidants,friends and cousins(married into the family,) a latino ex(Selah's father is Puerto Rican,)catholic sister-in-laws, muslim brother-in-law, dating a french speaking panamanian, and even had a filipino college roommate, who prayed to a golden buddha that set next to her constant supply of Jack Daniels in her clothes closet and who used my hair relaxer on her very straight hair... If you live in Atlanta long enough you can't just stick with people that look and beleve as you do. So I've tried to incorporate other ethnic enclaves and other religious beliefs in my stories.But i still fall short. I would love to write a story about a religious right white business man trying to find his place in a pc world and trying to find a quiet spot in his teenage infested home to decipher the secret codes and maps in the Book of Revelations that John Hagee has mapped out. I see this man feeling uncomfortable everytime he has to gas up at the pump or buy a dip cone at Dairy Queen. Then HR hires him a new administrative assistant-an angry black woman, who is one boot away from kicking her no-good evangelist husband out on his holy ear except for the fact that she has made her new bosse's plush office her temporary lodging until her husband either gets a paying job or move out. One night she finds the businessman's realms of the spirit map tucked away in his inbox and she deciphers the code. But then he fires her once he realize that she's been sleeping there. And then after she's gone he sees the decoded map. And now he needs her back. Wouldn't that be great?

I digress...

What ways do you find yourself limiting God in your writing?

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

Lordy, Lordy Ms. Claudy has a three book deal

Let me tell you. God sent me some real good news tonight. Claudia Burney--one of the best writers I know-- has a three book deal with Navpress.

From Claudia's Ragamuffin Blog...

I'm thrilled to announce that today I signed the contract for the three book deal with NavPress. The series is called The Amanda Bell Brown Mysteries. First in the series:

A Fling and a Prayer, releasing July 15, 2006.
All that's Jazz, releasing February 15, 2007
and Between Rocky and a Hard Place, releasing October 15, 2007.

Dee

Fat Gators, Mules & Bertrand

Bible verse for thought...

My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart; my heart is disquieted in me; I can't hold my peace; because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
-Jeremiah 4:19

Dave Long at Faith in Fiction posed a discussion this week that was inspired by J. Mark Bertrand's The Master Artist' Blog entry, Fire in the Belly.

An excerpt from Fire in the Belly....

"What it needs," he said, "is fire."

"Fire?"

"You're not pissed off when you write. You're not grabbing it by the throat."

Dave's take on the entry...

Here’s the rub:

To what extent does being a “Christian” file down those rough edges that prick and bleed in other writers. And while I know we’re all in agreement that following Christ is no roadmap to a life without suffering or pain, how much does our call to peace, hope, joy, patience, kindness, etc. dull or extinguish our instinct to write from the fire in the belly.

So where do we find the fuel to fire our art?

The easy end answer, I suppose, is that we write out of devotion and love and passion for God. And I do agree that in a number of novels, that is certainly the fuel that burns brightest. But then our vocabulary becomes haltingly limited. And while the fire is there, the art fails.

I agree, to an extent, but I for me fire comes from more than just a passion for God. For me it comes from a passion to live our lives as God wanted us to, and to get ticked off when we see our brothers and sisters not do the same. Sometimes, I can let iniquity and injustice go. Shake the dust off my feet and press to the mark. But times such as these, when not only am I defending God's righteousness, but my race, Hold my mule. I got to get my get on. (You don't know what that means. Excuse my geechee. Translation from the Rev. Shirley Caesar Dictionary. Hold my mules = I can't hold my peace. Translation from the Geechee/Gullah dialect handbook. I got to get my get on = I have to tell it like it T-I-is.

This week I haven't met my novel writing goals, because I've spent most of my days linking Hurricane Katrina Relief sites and news to my Katrina Relief Blog, searching for my godsister, and trying to help where I could. And after listening to Mayor Nagin, Governor Purdue(Georgia) and President Bush today, fire boils all over my belly. In swampwater speak(can't credit Shirley Caesar for this-:)--I'm hotter than a fat 'gator trudging through a hot blackberry bush. I'm boiling over.

So I'm going to write about this thing. Got me a goal, conflict, disaster and a reaction(gator hot), a delimma and with God's mercy I'll have me a decision that only Christ can provide. And if I knock the stink off this thing, maybe I'll use this as my conversion scene story for the contest. Who knows greater things have happened. :)

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