Into the Fire

Technically I’m not a writer. But what I mean by that is if I had to consider the technical breakdowns of a story, I’d fall flat on my keyboard head first. Emotion propels me into story. Passion drives that emotional train, and if I can’t write passionately about something, I might as well not even attempt it. Let me make it clear right now: if you are a technical writer, that is one who sets up, plots, plans, and pursues the story through organizational techniques, I applaud you. Seriously. It’s just that I can’t do it that way.

I am a very sequential person. To force me to get to B or C without first visiting A will propel me into confusion. Except when I’m random. Which is rarely. But still. Sometimes I am.

So when I hear that this or that technique works well to increase tension within a story, or to use certain methodology to create angst, fear, humor, or whoknowswhat, I wonder how I ever learned those things. They can be present in my writing but not intentionally—at least not because of my technical efforts to put them in action.

It’s old news that I’m a rule breaker with the quantifier of I believe one must possess a solid core knowledge of those rules in order to effectively break them. To my friends it’s also well known that I love variety in story elements and styles and voices. Travis Thrasher told a tale in second person POV. How often have you read a story that dared to do that? It worked. Great idea. In his last novel he was all over the map with POVs, and he did it wonderfully. Good efforts. And I say: Go for it!

We all know that basic storytelling follows a formula. After awhile, those formulas can seem repetitive so it’s noteworthy when an author breaks stride to produce something a little daring or different from the norm. Of course in order to be successful they must do it in an appealing or provocative way. And who’s to say what that might be?

I admire technically perfect writers. Those who craft and form a story sometimes before it’s even written amaze me. I can jot a note here and there if something necessary but down the road to the story comes along, but structuring and organizing a story doesn’t happen in my world. It unfolds as the words hit the page.

No wonder I’m technically challenged.

Father, all I can say is thank you for your variety, your sense of humor. I’m sure I’ve given you multiple eye-rolling moments. And hopefully lots of laughter. How else could you put up with me? I love you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The second and, unfortunately for now, final book in the Allie Fortune Mystery Series by Sara Mills leaves us at just the place we wanted to be. Finally. And that’s the end.

Miss Match takes Allie Fortune, Private Investigator, and Special Agent Jack O’Connor on a treacherous journey to postwar Berlin in an unlikely liaison to rescue Maggie O’Shayne, Jack’s one true love, after he receives two vague letters pleading for help from the woman who left him behind after his marriage proposal and headed into the military to practice her nursing career.

Able to procure a false passport for Jack as her husband, Allie and Jack head to the remnants of a bombed out Berlin with papers from an adoption ministry to return with eight orphans. The plan comes together fast and loose and extremely dangerous for Jack since if his true identity is discovered, he could be held for treason. Allie initially tries to discourage his determined decision to rescue Maggie, suggesting she might not be the woman he thinks she is, but there will be no denying his departure so Allie puts together the scheme.

An unusual twist involving Allie’s difficult relationship with her mother provides a different peak into her mother’s heart so many years ago in Berlin. Once there we can almost see the broken and erupted concrete streets, the buildings sheered in half—many ready to collapse—the hunger pangs of so many people who stand in line only to find that the available food disappears before they get any, the cold that bites to the bone without the refuge of fireplaces or furnaces.

There’s a surprise waiting with Maggie and a frightening secret which has kept her in hiding. When she must finally reveal the knowledge which has left her a hunted woman, a horrible event causes Jack to form a daring plan which could be fatal to all of them if it doesn’t work. At the conclusion of the plan, Allie separates from them in order to pursue what has held her captive and inert for eight long years.

An inventive story which is told primarily in first person via Allie’s POV, it does shift to give the reader a glimpse of Maggie’s back story, present feelings for Jack, their circumstances, and the permeating fear which surrounds their hopes of escape. Told in a slightly different style than Miss Fortune, the disjointed story and different POVs somehow accentuate the brokenness of lives subjected to the physical and political aspects of war.

Sara’s writing and interesting stories told through her adventurous, gutsy, and devoted private investigator heroine who, like Jack, has never gotten past her first love, certainly deserve an audience. If you enjoy period mysteries with a unique and oddly endearing heroine, please buy these two novels by Sara Mills (Miss Fortune, Miss Match). They’re worthy of shelf space, and it’s disappointing to learn the third novel in the series has not been printed.

Father, I ask for your blessing and protection upon Sara Mills. I pray your comfort and peace in her life. I pray she would feel your strength when hers is spent and exhausted. I pray you would continue to give her stories to tell, hope for the future, and encourage her as only you can do in her darkest hours. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Colossians 3:15 (NIV)

Okay. Most all avid novel readers involve themselves in a series at some point. Most of us expect various types of series. In the O’Malley Series, a bestselling and popular series by author Dee Henderson, the individual members of a self-adopted family occupy each book with an obvious connection to one another running throughout the featured story of the family member. In Kristen Heitzmann’s series, Secrets, Unforgotten, and Echoes, the first book focuses on the heroine’s history but brings in the protagonist who is more heavily featured in the second book, and in the third book of the series a sister to the protagonist is added as the featured character while keeping the heroine and protagonist in focus.

In the Patrick Bowers Thrillers by Steven James, Special Agent Patrick Bowers faces new cases in each novel but there are carry-over character references besides his family and coworkers. In Robert Liparulo’s Dreamhouse Kings Series for young adults each new book begins where the previous book left off and is told in increments of minutes, hours, and days often taking a closer look at one particular family member’s response to the plight of each traumatic encounter.

While the cliffhanger endings are both popular and frequently used, I think it should be a requirement that publishers of those novels in a series which choose to end this way should be required to produce the next in line within a six month period. Longer than that—and they very often arrive a year later—a reader can lose the fervor and fact retention of the previous story. I don’t want to have to dig out the previous novel and thumb through it to refresh my memory of villains, circumstances, and states of minds which have vacated the premises of my mind some 100 novels later. I retain the basic scenarios, but the intricate facts which occupied the previous novel and perhaps culminated in that cliffhanger ending have long since retired to places unknown.

It’s not uncommon to have series novels end more precisely with an allusion to future stories, especially in the first book. It’s far more reasonable to make a reader wait for the next book with this approach. With these types the details are less cumbersome and pressing, and one can remember good characters—and evil ones—without much effort. However, when an author presents the reader with a complex plot, multiple twists, more than one villain, and lots of peripheral character intersections, it’s asking too much for a reader to retain the intensity of that story and enter into the new story one year later well-prepared to carry on just as he/she left off.

There is a bit of a risk involved, too. If the reader decides in book three, which ends in a cliffhanger, that the wait isn’t going to be worth it for whatever reason, that reader might just abandon the series. One lukewarm offering in the series and with a long wait, the author can lose a piece of his audience. Something to consider anyway.

Personally, I’m not fond of cliffhangers because of the wait for resolution. I don’t mind some loose ends, some villains left uncaught, some relationships still tenuous, but when you pile up the unresolved circumstances and then the book ends, it angers me. Especially when I have to wait a year to find out how this story will ultimately turn out. Unfair in my book. I wouldn’t mind so much if the next one came out six months later, but a full year? It tempts me to quit on it. Tempts. I would rather read a saga or two than be left dangling for a year from a cliffhanger.

Obviously it isn’t a concern for the publishers who produce them, huh?

Lord, thank you for enticing stories that minister truth along the way. Thank you for authors who desire to include more than entertainment and achieve their goal. Thank you for the multi-talented writers who honor you with their gifts and talents. I pray I would also keep you in the forefront of everything I do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

At least twice a year the rounds of blogs tackle things like “What is Christian Fiction?” or “If you write evangelical fiction, you’re leaving out a slew of readers who will never touch a book with ‘Jesus’ in it.” Stuff like that. Once in a great while commentary gets a little cranky or competitive with strong opinions given in insulting language to one side or the other, but, honestly, those who are opposed to evangelical fiction tend toward using degrading terms while those who are opposed to less gospel-explicit writing tend toward scripture quoting and offer hints of judgment.

Most of you know I am one of the staunch defenders of Christian fiction because in recent years many of those authors who write “it” have proven their abilities to write at superior levels. Now here’s where the problem arises for some. They “need” a definition of Christian fiction for whatever reason. Maybe they’re highly organizational or they just desire to be street-savvy when it comes to accuracy in publishing/writing labels and terms. Good Christian authors organically mesh the gospel into their stories, but this doesn’t mean that those readers who resent any references to God will read them, regardless of how naturally the gospel weaves through and contributes to the story.

Now, let’s visit the other end of the spectrum: those quality writers who profess and demonstrate their Christianity in life but not so much in their writing. Tim Downs is my prime example with his exceptionally written Bug Man series. My friend Robert Liparulo can be another example, but I think he touched on faith issues in Comes A Horseman and Germ without focusing on them in the stories. Steven James’ series (The Pawn, The Rook, The Knight) develops a peripheral reference/character to Christianity, but it’s not in the forefront, and his protagonist’s resistance to faith is apparent.

My point—or opinion—is simply that it doesn’t matter much to me. I know who I am as a writer, so that’s who I need to be. There’s no question I’m an evangelical writer who includes and contrasts the worldly/secular characters and situations to those of either established or potential Christian characters and their responses to situations in the stories given to me to tell. Having been on both sides of this battle to choose heaven or hell, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea how to portray either side. I write redemption stories. That’s what God has assigned to me.

I see no point in arguing about fiction. From a publishing standpoint it’s reasonable to assume the different houses and their editors might look for specific types of writing and in order to make it clear either to them or to agents what they want, they tend to slap new labels on old ideas. They’re always looking for “the next best thing”.

I understand that some Christian writers feel excluded from the CBA houses because of the material they write. Many speculative fiction, fantasy, and science fiction writers have been waging an uphill battle forming blogs and websites to feature their preferences and draw attention to their plights after being told “it” doesn’t sell in regards to their “stuff”. Other writers have both subject matter and language issues with CBA fiction, but even some language makes it into print with some houses. Publishing anything is an uphill climb for most of us, so the criteria to be published in either the ABA or the CBA at any given time negates much of our efforts.

Finally there are old, and thoroughly worn out, misconceptions about CBA fiction. Those claims about no kissing, drinking, etcetera, still hold true for a minute number of imprints in certain houses, but they are no way in the majority. The more avant-garde houses or imprints such as Hachette Book Group’s FaithWords and Center Street divisions or occasionally Thomas Nelson have taken the lead in risks.

Anyway, just my opinion.

Father, thank you for stories to tell. Thank you for inspiration. Thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Mark Mynheir’s new novel The Night Watchman introduces us to the damaged ex-cop Ray Quinn. The story isn’t new, but with Mark’s colorful and interesting characters, it’s a story we want to read again.

Ray Quinn was a great detective before he and his female partner were ambushed on the front lawn in a routine visit to a drug dealer’s home. He took three bullets and survived, barely, but she was killed with one shot. He is now a night watchman on the midnight shift at the Coral Bay Condominiums in Orlando along with an unusual young man named Crevis Creighton who wants to be a cop more than anything else in all of life.

Now Ray walks with a cane to support his new hip and plastic pelvis, endures torturous physical therapy from a woman he refers to as Helga, mourns the loss of his future fiancée who happened to be his partner, and works on Sudoku puzzles in the wee hours of the morning while dispatching Crevis to imaginary investigations on the condo grounds when Ray isn’t making fun of him.

When Ray and Crevis inadvertently discover one of their condo residents dead on his bedroom floor with a fully clothed exotic dancer also deceased on his bed, there are things which don’t add up in so many ways, but mostly the only reason he agrees to get involved is because of the persistence of the dead man’s sister who claims her brother, who was involved in a community outreach ministry for the homeless and addicted, would never kill himself or anyone else and was certainly not carrying on with a stripper. A certain cop with whom Ray has always had an ongoing feud wrapped up the case in no time flat calling it a murder-suicide.

After certain further damages happen to Ray as he’s poking around for information, he is forced to use Crevis for help, and the prickly Ray quickly learns the kid is more equipped than he imagined and quite teachable. The unusual liaison proves to be quite meaningful and beneficial to both of them.

The irreverent Ray Quinn isn’t the most likable of protagonists, but we care about him and cut him a lot of slack because the author makes his various kinds of pain palpable. We ache with him, we want justice for him, and we know way down deep he’s a good guy. Crevis grows on us just as he does Ray, and we come to respect his fortitude and dedication. The deceased’s sister Pam is admirable, courageous, and determined. We definitely want her to be right about her brother.

Mark ties it up nicely at the end, leaving us with a picture of a recovering Ray who might just be allowing a shred of hope into his previously stone cold heart. Good story, well written for its genre, and easily fools the reader with the culprit. If you enjoyed the Joe Box mysteries by John Robinson or Randy Alcorn’s Deception, you will thoroughly enjoy The Night Watchman written by the real Detective Mark Mynheir.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1590529359

Father, I pray for your divine protection upon Mark as He serves you. I pray you would continue to supply the stories you have for him to tell. I pray you would bless him with great insights and give him revelation knowledge at his work and in his writing. Continue to watch over him and keep him safe from all harm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Those of you who “know” me are aware of my two self-published novels. The first one Hope Of Glory was begun in 1993, finished in 2002, published in 2005. My second novel The Famous One was begun late in 2004, finished in 2005, and published in 2008.

My third novel Sweet Release was started in 2005 and finished in 2005. My fourth novel Wounds . . . and Healings was started in 2005 and finished in 2005. My fifth novel Destination was written in 2006. My sixth novel The Fixer was begun in 2006 and finished in 2007. And the seventh novel Breath of Life was written in 2006. I have started the eighth novel, but it is progressing more slowly than I thought it would which is okay at this point. (And now I’ve started number nine.)

Recently an individual who shall remain nameless picked up Hope Of Glory after setting it aside some time ago. This person had read somewhere around 200 pages of the 744 page monster when he put it away for a considerable period of time. When he elected to start over with the book, he reread those pages and finished the book. He called to tell me that upon picking up the novel again and reading it through, he experienced a long desired healing. Called it a miracle. Said there was significant weeping involved, but he continued through to the end of the story and, although he didn’t explain the type or circumstances of the healing, let me know without a doubt, he was “healed”.

I’ve been getting some wonderfully positive feedback from those who’ve read The Famous One. And, if you have a copy of the novel and are not feeling positive about it, I’m sorry. Believe it or not, some readers have been truly moved by the story.

All in good time . . . the Lord ministers to and through us if we are willing to receive and pour forth from His supply and bounty. He gives us all we need to do what He assigns to us. If we can control our selfish desires and curb our lusts for fame and fortune, He will accomplish great things in us and through us because of who He is. And although our definitions of “great” and “successful” often clash with His, if we can sustain a willing heart to adhere to His desires for us, we will experience a profound sensation of value to His kingdom.

“He has made all things beautiful in His time . . .” Ecclesiastes 3:11

Living in what we consider “real time” it becomes so difficult to understand the significance of time beyond us. The “I want it now” culture has always existed. It isn’t new to this generation or even to this society. We can’t help ourselves with our greed or yearnings unless we want to make an effort to sacrifice the constant demands of the flesh, spiritually crucifying them. Rising above our wants restricts our self-centered ways and steers us away from conforming to the empty philosophies of a world that is self-serving and as a result self-destructing.

It kind of amazes me when we forget that our successes are a result of the benevolence of a loving God with a purpose so much more divine than we have in mind, so much farther reaching than we can imagine, and so much more worthwhile and multi-dimensional than we can figure it to be. And that the first priority of those successes is spiritual.

Writers, serving the Lord is your highest order and your greatest honor. When the priorities become confused and you find yourself serving man—hence serving yourself—ultimately your writing will be wasted. Christians know that only those things done in obedience to God remain untarnished and eternal. The rest of our “stuff” is so much chaff, burned in a wasted bonfire at the Judgment Seat of Christ. What if that “stuff” outweighs our collection of the “Done in Obedience” stack? The shame of it will be unbearable.

The “glory” of the arts is not in the objects themselves but in the direction taken by the heart immersed in obedience to the God who gives the inspiration for creation. We simply cannot create without Him.

The time to write is when He gives you the story. The time to continue through the hard places is when you determine to follow Him through the deep waters. The time to complete what He has given you to do is when you hear His instruction urging you forward. The time to stop is when He tells you to stop and not before. Listen carefully. Write on. Timing is everything.

Father, you are the Master. We are your servants and yet you call us friends, joint heirs with Jesus. Help us to be willing to serve, loving, and obedient. We’re desperate for you, and we need you to push us, prod us, nudge us, and never give up on us. We know we can count on you. If only you can count on us . . . I continue to ask: please, help me to be the one you want me to be. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

I can’t tell you how to write your novel. I can’t tell you why you need to use the rules of writing. I can’t tell you to outline your story or to just write and let it pour onto the page. I can’t tell you one way is better than the other for you.

I can’t tell you it will be next to impossible for you to get published, and I can’t tell you it will be a sure thing if you just “write a great story, polish it to perfection” and submit it.

I can’t tell you going to a writer’s conference will lead you to the agent of your choice or directly to a contract with a publisher because of the pitch you make to an editor.

I can’t tell you that if you study the craft and buy all the best writing manuals written by Anne LaMott or Stephen King or Donald Maass or whomever, and take their instructions to heart, that your resulting work will net you a multi-book contract.

I can’t tell you if you do your homework as to what agents/editors/publishers prefer your genre(s) and seek them out with your near perfect manuscript that you’ll get published.

I can’t tell you your platform is exceptional enough or notable enough or too insignificant for publication.

But many people will tell you these kinds of things and more. Some who tell you these things are professionals in the publishing industry. They’re either giving you the pat formulas or the sincere instructions which work for the few who make it into publication.

So. Here’s what I can tell you. Writing can be fun, exhilarating, exhaustive, meaningful, necessary and compelling, and/or drudgery. You will know if and when you simply must write novels. You will learn just how dedicated you are to your work. You will learn just how disciplined you can be or not. You will have those moments or months of struggle. You will have those moments or months of extreme fulfillment.

I can tell you finishing that first novel is a unique experience, extremely satisfying. But it won’t be enough to prove yourself. And if you can write one, then you can certainly write two. Don’t take too long to bask in your own glory because it’s fleeting—as it should be.

I can tell you that if you remind yourself it’s not all about you, you’ll be better off. If you remind yourself that your inspiration comes from the Lord, and any and all praise for your work goes right through the ionosphere to Him, you’ll fare better emotionally and spiritually.

And for all of these things, I thank you, God. You are the source. You are the reality. Thank you in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:33-34 (NIV)

At this point in time it seems odd to me that I have completed seven, as in 7, novels. Those of you who visit regularly (or are recipients of either) know I have self-published two of the seven. I began a sequel to the first one and was well into it when I was definitely impressed to write and finish the second one (The Famous One) which it could be said is really the third one, but since the actual second one isn’t completed, I consider The Famous One my second novel. Phew—aren’t you glad that’s so clear?

The last two completed works are the shortest as I diligently bent my preferences to shear the word count. Number six is probably the briefest novel I will ever write (88,000+ words) and the most difficult/painful to write because of that factor. The characters deserved better—I really did like them, but, alas, their lives were crammed into scant petite visions and episodes without all the details that I so love to read . . . and write.

So, I took time off from the completion of a novel and focused on this blog. For awhile, it was therapeutic. Now as with most blogs, it nags me. I began Book number eight but it’s been temporarily postponed to get involved in Book number nine, but I keep thinking about Book number eight’s characters and how they’re frozen in mid-sentence or thought in neverland waiting for me. Drives me crazy: they, too, deserve better.

I got to thinking the other day how would I number them as to my favorites, but my ratings system confounded me because a couple of them are tied, and the first one must be kept in a category all its own because of so many factors which contributed to its existence, not the least of which was a near audible voice of instruction from the Lord, and the fact that after years of eclectic efforts at writing, I was once again entrenched in it with a certainty and a re-equipping myself with the craft. So, number one novel is my most inferior as far as craft is concerned. No doubt there. However, it is also a real bona fide accomplishment because of and not limited to the very act of obedience which took a long 8 and ½ years to complete.

I keep knocking around in my head the Big Picture, and when I do, I am so small. Writing isn’t a small thing. But sometimes the beast of writing is bigger than it should be. All consuming. The focus of so many people and to what end? Walk into a Borders. Walk into a good-sized Family Christian store. The number of books—heck, just the number of novels is enough to shrink the confidence of a megalomaniac. Well, maybe not them. But it sure does a number on me.

The thing is I’ve read a good 90% of the CBA novels in my preferred genres. I know the strengths and weaknesses of many writers. I see the tendencies of certain publishers. And above all the writing sensibilities, I know this: I have no viable platform.

Like any writer, I have something to say. Something I value and would hope others might also. Who doesn’t want to touch hearts or tickle funny bones or scare people? Whatever your aim, you want to hit it.

I have learned the most valuable lesson, though, in all these novel constructs. Over the years, I see my Lord in the work, in the vision, in the inspiration, and in the ownership. Therefore, I know the end result belongs to Him. His purpose for the entire process is the only one that matters. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. In that fact I can be content.

Father: thank you. Endlessly. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you Spirit of God. Thank you.