Into the Fire

http://myfreedomfoundation.com/blog/detail/memorial-day-honoring-our-heroes

I'm reposting The Last Frontier of Christian Fiction . . . just because.

How did you get here? No, really. How did you get into this life on planet earth? Yes, God breathed your creation. But after that? Those two people who are your parents—remember them? I know. Some of you don’t have the knowledge of who those two individuals are or were. I’m sorry for that. And some of you only know one or the other. But that’s not what I’m asking here. How did Mom and Dad come up with you? Yes. Okay, you don’t have to picture it. You don’t have to describe the mechanics of it. But this is what I’m talkin’ about!

Most of us want to know how our parents met. We desire to know their “love story”. Girls want to know about their first kiss, the romance, the places they met, how Dad proposed. What did it feel like? Boys want to know if Dad knew he loved Mom and how did he know it? And when? And was it difficult asking her out or what about kissing her? All of these questions depend on the ages of sons and daughters. And, of course, if they feel like they have the freedom to discuss such things.

The Last Frontier in Christian Fiction is the real love story with the real romance. The reason for this is because sexual concepts, actions, feelings, and reactions—all without graphics and explicitness—remain a tad taboo. Not to say we don’t get the heart-thumping, “deep” kisses, and the heat-producing stares or dialogue in Christian romance stories, but most of the sexual content of meeting, liking, loving, or simply being attracted to someone is imagined, handled with clichés, or . . . left out. And this is fine for some. However, for those who’ve been down some roads without a moral compass, who’ve tasted of desire only to have it get the best of them without experiencing the fulfillment it promised, the chaste stories of super control while with someone who wakes up every membrane and hormone within you don’t work. Don’t seem real. Don’t seem possible. Don’t also quench the nagging place that wonders if no one gets how it feels to be them.

In the general market there are virtually no boundaries. There is “gay” literature for the homosexual market. There is “erotica” for those who indulge the rush of sexual activity in print form. There is enough crude language in some novels to fill a septic tank. These kinds of novels aren’t necessarily the norm or the bestselling, but they occupy their space in the market- and some would say they're on the uptick.

Some Christian readers prefer to ignore the subject of sex. They don’t want to read about its powerful position in relationship. I’m not talking graphic depictions here. To think that contrasting the world’s views and reactions to God’s could be “edgy” baffles me.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, written years ago and still on many bestselling lists, tells the story of a raped child forced into prostitution, who is eventually given a primitive abortion, who is rescued by a man of devout faith who marries her and fights every carnal desire he has to avoid a sexual encounter with her because he wants her to want him and to know that she’s not just a whore to him. It’s stunning Christian literature.

In The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson the heroine of the story is directed by Jesus to love and embrace the man she’s known since he was a rebellious youngster. Within this powerful story written as a memoir, the subjects of incest and homosexual encounters provide a backdrop for an amazing love story. One of the best in today’s Christian literature.

Obviously there is an audience for the underbelly of love stories. What about stories featuring ordinary people who must face up to their sexual attractions, behaviors, mistakes, or indulgences? I can accept there are those who prefer “bonnet books” to a more contemporary story of real-life dramas without hiding behind a structured religion, but it’s difficult for me to believe there isn’t a market for those books which capture the essence of love depicted in the world’s empty promises and the conflicts presented while trying to live the life God’s designed.

Those readers are the audience I seek: those who’ve learned the hard way what the world has to offer leaves them lacking, disappointed, embarrassed, and often humiliated. Those people who long for a godly relationship within and without the bedroom. Those people who long to feel that somehow God, through the love and forgiveness Jesus offers, can restore some form of worth to their battered souls. Those who want to share the sensual pleasures with someone who wants to honor them before God regardless of the past. Those who’ve been broken and need repair. Or those who seek someone who respects what they’ve fought to keep. Those who desire passion in every area of their lives.

I write stories traversing the last frontier of Christian fiction. They’re not all about sex. But the relationships are real, not only down-to-earth but here on earth. Real life. 

Father, we’re all desperate for you. Heal us. Make us whole in your ways, Jesus. Holy Spirit, lead us into all truth. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

It should be noted that when a novelist chooses to write in first person, he establishes his protagonist's voice. Opting to do the first person point of view limits the language, the actions, and all that the character does in order to stay in that character's skin. His perceptions drive the story, and they must fit him or her.

I never used to enjoy first person POV. I might've enjoyed the stories, but I didn't look forward to reading first person. In recent times of reading Christian fiction there have been almost a majority of novels with first person POVs. If a reader doesn't like first person, he'd be hard pressed to find a novel to enjoy. I wrote six novels before trying a mixed first and third person POV (in Breath of Life). I found I liked writing in the first person and am currently engaged in another attempt at mixed POVs, primarily first person, in my police procedural.

What do you read, like, and write? Do you mix it up in your writing? Do you have a preference?

Father, thank you for the beauty of variety and the desire to reproduce it. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

                            (Free for a review from the CFBA Tour)

Becky Wade's new release Undeniably Yours, published by Bethany House, fits snugly into that publisher's wheel house for romance novels. Unlike Becky's unnecessarily controversial first CBA release My Stubborn Heart, Undeniably Yours shouldn't present any outrage from the staid demographic of Christian romance fans.

Megan Cole inherits an oil empire when her father dies unexpectedly. Overwhelmed by the oil business and forced to make decisions she knows she's unqualified to make, one of her first chores is to close down her father's Thoroughbred farm. When she makes the unenviable trip to the farm, knowing she will be ending the jobs for all those who work there, she meets the farm manager Bo Porter who gives her a tour of the place and introduces her to the staff that keeps it operational. Although her father loved the horses, Meg does not, but Bo manages to convince her to give him six months to get the operation in the black before she closes it which she agrees to do.

Megan Cole is plagued with daddy issues. Her mom died young and her distant dad worked seemingly all the time. Her nanny, now quite old but still sharp, keeps her steady and smothered with love whenever they're together. She never wanted to work in the oil business so her dad gave her 10 years to do her own thing before the traditional heiress duty of running Cole Oil fell to her. While at college, she married a thieving scam artist, and he robbed her blind before their divorce was final five years later. She no longer trusts any man to get close to her. Until Bo Porter.

You can guess what happens next as with 99% of all romances. Isn't that how romances work? The wider look at the story involves the soothing of Meg's soul, the climax of those final trust issues and what it takes to produce that, plus the inspiration of ministry, and eventually, after some trauma, the happily-ever-after. Undeniably Yours is the classic romance.

There are no "questionable" words used in this novel. Nothing for the majority segment of Christian romance readers to fuss about, and certainly fans of Karen Kingsbury will enjoy Becky's second CBA book. "Clean and chaste" readers should be ecstatic to add Undeniably Yours to their book collections.

The strengths for me in this little romance are the attraction descriptions, the romantic obsessions of two people who can't figure out how to be together, and the innate difficulties of two people who come from starkly different backgrounds but whose hearts and visions of values and worth intersect.    

Weaknesses for me, and let me emphasize here, for me, are the typical usage of faith elements, some cliché romance factors which make it predictable and formulaic because that's how romance is "supposed to be", and the two "golden" Christian characters. My impression of this novel is that Bethany House wanted a more typical and "cleaner" story from Becky Wade than her first CBA attempt in My Stubborn Heart which was "undeniably" my favorite of the two and showed off Becky's excellent writing skills and voice much better than in this book.

If you're a fan of the typical Christian romance and enjoy a well-written novel, Becky Wade's Undeniably Yours will be perfect for you. 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764209752

Father, you've gifted Becky in this romance writing endeavor. I pray you would continue to give her meaningful stories that honor you, and I ask that you bless her with your truth in storytelling and your abundance in her life. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

We often count on many future things. We make appointments. We look forward. We plan. We organize. We assume.

But life is short and tomorrow never comes for some. One day it will be you and me. I confess I think about it too much.

As novel writers, we touch on life and death in stories. In life we experience serious loss. We laugh, we cry, we mourn. Words fill pages but often stop short in real sorrow.

I can no longer imagine life without Jesus. I lived it that way for a long time. Too long. He conquered death for all of us. He tells us we have today. And that our days are numbered.

Weird ramblings for a Tuesday.

Father, you've given me this life. Help me to do as you ask for each day you allow me to stay here. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Are you willing to allow a story to develop? What dictates whether or not you'll stay the course if a story begins to drag? Can you pinpoint when or how the development of a story turns you away?

Most who stop here stick with novels and enjoy story development. They don't mind a few extra incidentals in the story that could be left out and instead appreciate the extra flavor which tends to add to the bigger story.

We're picky readers in our own ways. Some of us read specific genres and don't waver from that short list too far. Others will read all kinds of genres but insist upon a good story. Short or long, they're not at all intimidated by the different lengths and prefer good development of characters and story to bare and sterile styles that celebrate fewer words.

What will cause you to give up on a novel? 

Father, help us to be just patient enough, to acknowledge that our opinions are not always shared, and to be intent on writing what you have for us to write. No matter what. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Stop trusting in man,

 who has but a breath in his nostrils.

Of what account is he?

Isaiah 2:22 (NIV)

An excellent ending to a marvelous season. And, yay: no cliffhanger!

Lord, thank you for the amazing talents you give to people. Please help them to experience your generosity and know you as you desire to be known. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

We all know them when we see them. Those great first lines in a novel or a film make us think we're in for a grand adventure. Whether melancholy, humorous, exciting, or clever, a perfect first line can be enticing.

But I don't base my liking of a story on that great first line. Because if that's all you've got, you don't have much. And that goes for a good first chapter too. You've got to carry it. When you start out explosively, you can't drop your reader off in the second chapter and return to brilliant in the fifth or tenth. And it's hard to sustain near perfection for the length of a story.

So how do you feel about first lines in novels? What's your objective when you begin your story?

Lord, you personified a great first line with In the beginning God created . . . Thank you for all the "beginnings". In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Donald Bellisario's typical season finales end in cliffhangers. If you've been a fan of his various hit TV series, you know this. So. Anyone have opinions on these two season endings for 2012 – 2013 episodes?

Good writers. Good series. Good season finales?

Father, please bless these cast members with the knowledge of who you are. Bless their talents and may they ultimately dedicate them to you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.