Passionate thoughts about the world of writing and the Power of God
One of several good songs by Dusty Springfield, heard also in the original film soundtrack of Casino Royale. Got that smooth jazz-type voice.
Romance is the theme of this week's blog posts culminating with an interview on Friday. And this song plays right into it.
Father, thank you for music, for the instruments and voices, the talents and gifts you've given. Thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
I've had the wonderful opportunity and the ultimate pleasure of meeting several authors in person, on the telephone, and/or communicating online. Their genres range from thrillers to romance, to suspense, to mystery, to cozy mysteries, and to women's/family fiction. Truly a joy and often fascinating, I hold a special place for each one of them and definitely admire their unique skills as writers/authors. I consider them friends.
These particular authors have given me hours of excellent reading. A few of them have read my work and given me back-cover endorsements for mine.
As one of my few favorite authors in the romance genre, I will post a short interview with her on Friday as her latest novel premieres this week.
Father, I would ask you to bless my fellow authors as only you can do. You know them better than anyone ever could, making your provision for exactly what they need. Thank you for always being there. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
honor is not fitting for a fool.
Like a bad tooth or a lame foot
is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.
Proverbs 26:1 and Proverbs 25:19 (NIV)
Lord, apart from you I can do nothing. Absolutely nothing. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
This never fails to amuse me. The two-year-old in me still lives! Hahaha! Girl's got 'tude. Apparently, I'm missing a shoe.
Father, you've guarded and protected me from myself my entire life. I went the wrong direction and you sought me out. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Today I remember the process of writing . . . in a love song. Those of you who've read the Foreword know what song inspired it. And a few of you might remember that I began the story after starting Race, my only mystery, freezing up on it, beginning Seeing . . ., and then after writing several chapters of Seeing . . ., I wrote the first few chapters of . . . in a love song.
. . . in a love song was completed after I finally went back to finish Race, followed by Seeing . . ..
That was the most unusual process I've experienced in writing my novels. I'm a very sequential person, rarely random, but these three books blew the doors off "sequential".
. . . in a love song is only available as an e-book at present.
Father, thank you for every inspiration, word, character, story. Only you. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Being an author of Christian Fiction, many who do not believe or participate in my faith have made comments about the genre as "having an agenda". My reaction has always been that fiction in general has an "agenda". First off, the obvious agenda is to tell a story. Within that framework, the story is meant for various kinds of entertainment. Just as secular (general market) literature is written to fulfill that basic purpose, there needn't be a distinction between those authors and those who write Christian novels.
So I asked myself if my Christian fiction has an "agenda".
Definition of agenda (Merriam-Webster)
1: a list or outline of things to be considered or done; "agendas" of faculty meetings
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NIV)
The first line can grab a reader in a proverbial heartbeat. Those of us who are patient readers don't demand an all-out knockout punch in the first line, but, frankly, it's a treat when one accomplishes that initial thrill of admiration or excitement or intrigue.
Here's the catch: as a reader, are you willing to advance in the novel if the first line possibly is too harsh, offends you, or startles you in a possibly negative way?
Some readers are not offended easily. They're reading troopers. I would classify myself as one of those. Becoming "offended" is off-putting because of what it's become in our culture. The first line in Then . . . you will unintentionally "offend" some readers. I can tell you upfront who these readers are: they are the majority readers of traditionally published Christian fiction. They are the readers who gave Redeeming Love and The Masterpiece 1-star reviews. They are the readers who question an author's Christianity because they have become offended at a word, a circumstance, some measure of theology, a character's reaction, etc. They are the readers who search for the many novels with the "clean" Christian fiction labels insinuating that authentically portrayed attraction and realistic romance are somehow "dirty".
Just some thoughts on that "first line" impact.
Father, you know my heart. You know I never want to write anything that offends you. It's all about you. Thank you for all that you've given me and done for me. I have no words large enough to express my gratitude. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Into the Fire 