Into the Fire

I used to like the smell of Ammonia. Once when I was in grade school–fifth grade, I think–a friend and I were in her basement carving apples for Halloween using her brother’s wood carving tools. Mine slipped and jammed into the space between my thumb and forefinger. OUCH! Her dad was so strict that I ran home (next door) before he could find out, and into the bathroom bleeding profusely over the sink. I must’ve looked kind of out of it because my parents brought in the Ammonia and stuck it under my nose. Well, I just inhaled the obnoxious odor to their surprise, and I never passed out as they bandaged me.

Jesus said if you are not for Him, you’re against Him. This is played out every single day in this country. The political arena is polarized according to pundits. Yes. It is. So are good and evil.

Thanks to my BFF Debbie, I remembered I had a Revlon Doll. They preceded the Barbies. She even sent me a silly picture of myself from the way so long ago archives.

I joined several others today at City Hall for the National Day of Prayer. Glad to be counted among those who value the day.

My mother died in 1985 much too young. I still miss her. She was a gem. Fun. Lovely. She loved me so much. Mother’s Day has never been the same for me.

God, you love me, too. In spite of me. Thank you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Like a little girl passenger, I watch. Interesting things fly by through the window view, and it’s enough. I have no idea where I am. I only know the destination. How long will it take to get there? I don’t know that.

I trust the driver and enjoy the ride. Sometimes it takes too long at the red lights, and all I see are more cars. Green flashes and we move on. Journeys bring anticipation, and part of this trip is fun, but part of it makes me bored. I can be impatient.

The car turns down roads where I’ve never been. But I’ve never known how to get there, so I shouldn’t be surprised at what I see along the way. I am, though, sometimes. And I can’t help but wonder if I’m lost. But then I remember who takes me where I’m going, and I understand that just because I don’t know where I am doesn’t mean the driver doesn’t. No. My driver loves me and will make sure I get where I’m supposed to go. The driver knows the best route even though it seems tedious and time consuming to me.

I get weary from all the twists and turns and unfamiliar sights. I must remember who is driving so I won’t be fearful or feel irrelevant and forgotten. After all, it wouldn’t do to arrive too soon. The driver will make sure I get there just in time. Wherever I need to go.

Father, I love you. You’ve been so gracious to me. Thank you, Jesus, for your divine insights and protection. Holy Spirit, continue to enlighten me and direct me. I’m desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Paul Robertson’s third novel According to their Deeds is up for the CFBA Blog Tour, and for me it falls somewhere in between his first and second novels in appeal. I’ve never been quite sure what exactly the genre reference “cozy mystery” means, but I suspect this story is one of them. I am definitely not the target audience for this book even though I can appreciate Paul’s writing.

Charles Beale and his lovely wife Dorothy own a rare books store in Alexandria. A meandering tale of blackmail with political implications, murder, antiques, and hidden records of secret transactions stuffed in a rare edition of a collection of historical books, it follows the efforts of Charles to discover how “to do the right thing”. In the process he meets the victims of the blackmail attempts and encounters their suspicions that he knows their misdeeds.

From his personal investigation he finds the associates of his wealthy chess acquaintance and rare book buyer Derek Bastien whose political and life philosophies couldn’t be farther from those of Charles. The multi-layers of Derek’s discussions and challenges to Charles carry on in Charles’ memory after Derek’s death.

The cast of unusual characters includes the closed personality of the young man Angelo who threatened Charles with a knife to rob him but was captured and released to Charles and his wife at their request under the rules of his probation. We slowly learn of Charles’ and Dorothy’s son, William, who suffered from mental illness resulting in suicide.

The interaction and personalities of antique collectors and booksellers is just shy of nutty at times but clever and witty at others. The dialogue is sometimes strange, and Charles and Dorothy remind me of a British couple with their low-key repartee mixed with witticisms and symbolism. However, it sounds like they should be much older in years than I believe they’re supposed to be and in spite of their formal speech, it is obvious they share an intimacy both strained and enhanced by sorrow.

Anyway, this is a slow moving mystery with plenty of diversions and purposeful suspicions, but the clues are there to discover the perpetrator of the long time coming acceleration toward the tidy conclusion.

We’ve recently talked about “Christian” novels written without overt references to salvation and godly conduct or practices. This novel gives examples of evil behaviors while contrasting them to the desire to act rightly and with mercy. The biblical reference from Revelation of judgment for the lost “according to their deeds” will be recognizable to people of faith. Not so much to an unbeliever in spite of the scriptural quote at the beginning of the novel. I believe Paul accomplishes his objective in this novel. I’m just not sure who his audience will be.

Father, you know what your desires are for Paul. I pray, Lord, that you would make them clear to him. Please continue to watch over him and bless him with your directions in his life and the desire to follow them. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

More than one of the conversations I had with different individuals at the conference was the ongoing claim of those professing not to read much Christian fiction because it’s “fluff”. Well, nothing stops me in my tracks faster and gets me going in a straight line to challenge their claims. And though I’m not in any way keeping score, I inevitably “win” those conversations and have the naysayers quickly writing down the slew of names of Christian fiction authors they’ve never heard of that I’m recommending to them. The truth be known they don’t know enough about Christian fiction to make those erroneous statements. Yes, they’ve probably slogged through a couple of mediocre novels and assumed the entire bunch must be the same. Simply not true.

Since I write Christian fiction, I get defensive at those patronizing writers who make the bold statements about how, yes, “edgy” their writing is and how it doesn’t fit into the CBA mold. Well, guess what? It might not fit into the Love Inspired imprint or even at Bethany House, but I guarantee if it’s not trash, there’s a Christian publisher out there who will consider it. The borders are open in a lot of houses, and you don’t even have to show your passport.

I can just imagine the next summons saying, “Define ‘trash’”. Look, I’m not going to go so far as to say erotica and f-bombs are acceptable to Christian publishers. However, if your work must include graphics in words or sexual intercourse, then you want to try the general market (ABA) anyway. Or custom publish your work.

But don’t try to tell me that the reality of “the world” is being left out of Christian fiction. It is certainly not. And there are some absolutely amazing writers putting together phenomenal stories distributed by major Christian publishers. Some of those publishers (Hachette Book Group’s Faith Words and Center Street divisions and Thomas Nelson for another) are publishing novels which stretch what are considered “safe” boundaries by others.

And if you think every Christian novel must declare the gospel or record a salvation experience, you are so behind the times in your Christian novel reading. There are myriad stories out there in Christian publishing where there is virtually no mention of Jesus Christ, no characters who exhibit lifelike Christian qualities or principles, and even the Christian worldview is vague at best.

Quality writing is there in Christian novels. You just have to know what you like and who fits into your ideals. Once you can qualify your preferences, I’m willing to bet the books are there for you. And if they aren’t, they’re on the way because there are houses in the industry trying to get outside the status quo.

Father, thank you for each writer who strains to write for you, to honor you with all they do. Thank you for pure hearts who strive to give their best in all things that you might receive the glory and praise due to you alone. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Those of you who’ve traveled along the path of this particular blog know that I’m not a gung-ho writers’ conference girl. The benefit of attending one is inarguable, provided those attending professionals meet the needs of your particular writing. Making one-on-one contact with publishing professionals takes the place of email queries and proposals and beats that latter method hands down.

So with that in mind I went to the Northwest Christian Writers Renewal for the first time last year, and there were indeed some impressive names on the faculty roster. You might remember I met both Karen Ball and Mick Silva in person after having several email conversations and conducting interviews with them here which you can find in the archives. I had the pleasure of spending a bit of time again this year with Mick.

Last year I went as an observer, knowing most of my remaining novels didn’t fit comfortably into the word count preferences and I wanted to learn the ropes before presenting the eligible novels to an agent or editor. This year I looked at the faculty roster and spotted an agent I wanted to pitch. I did some preparation but each agent, editor, or publisher has his/her own preferences which are not always discernible until you’re sitting at the table with them. To a degree I looked forward to the opportunity, having selected two of my novels in the romance/women’s fiction genres.

I took a friend with me who’s just starting out on the writing journey in another area than myself. It was fun to be able to encourage her with my past experiences. We arrived in the lobby and there’s a line to register. Last year there were people milling about but no lines. I remarked that at first glance it looked like there were more people this year. In spite of the economy, that turned out to be true: this conference broke records for attendance even though the faculty presenters were down. After registering and receiving our materials, I had to go to another line to confirm my agent appointment. Guess what? The agent I selected had become ill and couldn’t attend the conference. Someone was standing in for the agent, but the individual (a former agent) was now a publisher with a custom publishing group. How extraordinary. God, I wonder what you have in mind. The irony made me smile, sort of. It was my only appointment so I went ahead and kept it even though I knew I would be meeting a proxy and had little hope of impressing the particular individual. I found it kind of interesting that three of the five presenters had projects which the original agent specifically stated in the brochure were not areas this agent intended to represent. However, the proxy person acted quite interested in them, probably from his personal business agenda.

Ironic.

Irony number two is the increasing, though not in leaps and bounds, value of quality custom publishing in the professional community. I must say, in my opinion, this is largely due to WinePress Publishing Group who did the publishing for my second novel The Famous One. WinePress’s owner and representatives are recognized and well respected in the publishing community, and you will find them at all the major conferences. One thing that separates them from the average self-publishing options is that they don’t accept all material for publishing. If you don’t adhere to their standards or parameters, they will turn you down. Their reputation is at stake, and they’ve worked too hard in this biz to be snickered at by their colleagues in the industry. For those of you who have a copy of The Famous One, I’m sure you’ll agree that the novel represents quality production. Even if you don’t care for my writing or my story, you can’t say the book itself is inferior. The cover design, the font, the overall presentation is equal to any royalty published novel in its class and better than some.

Who would’ve thought a royalty publishing professional would suggest that using a custom publisher to do a first run or a POD first edition of a novel to get it into distribution might be considered a value to them?! Much of this is due to the unimaginable success of the self-published The Shack which blew the royalty publishers out of their comfort zones and had them all back pedaling to acquire it as the copies flew off the shelves and it climbed to the top of the New York Times Bestseller List.

That’s astounding news, Writers. The ugly step-sister in the publishing world is growing up and turning into a potentially attractive young lady.

The absolutely fun thing is that next year I must go again because Brandilyn Collins will be the keynote speaker! How great it will be to meet this fine lady and great author of “Seatbelt Suspense”.

Father, thank you for the opportunity to attend this conference. It was good to see old friends and establish new contacts. I’m grateful to you for allowing me to go. You go before me, and I want to follow you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

“To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:

‘We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;
We sang a dirge
and you did not cry.’

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ‘sinners’.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

Luke 7:31-35 (NIV)

I will be at the local Northwest Christian Writers Renewal today and tomorrow. I enjoyed the conference last year and was able to make arrangements to attend again this year.

The open door policy we ask of God is always interesting. Most of us prefer clarity in answers even when it means we don’t necessarily get one we view as a positive.

The optimists and faithful among us often refer to the closed doors giving way to the open ones–those that God desires for us.

I got brave this year and signed up for an appointment with an agent. Unfortunately for her, she won’t be attending due to illness. I pray it’s not serious for her sake. That door is shut.

The journey continues, and the Lord never fails to make it interesting. I’ll learn what kind of arrangements the conference directors will make for substitutions and enjoy the experience anyway.

For now, as they say on TV, this is an open and shut case.

God, you go before me and I’m thankful for that. Please help me to bless others. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

All of us are taught how to read and write. If we continue to expand our education in the creative writing field and narrow it to novels, we will inevitably learn things that are critical to the actual craft of constructing stories in book form. If we specialize in a particular genre, we will need information about the specifics of telling a story within that framework, allowing for some variation.

We are taught grammar, but from what I’ve observed from several recent graduates of the public school system, it no longer is being taught effectively. Granted, grammar isn’t a strength for some writers, and, if it isn’t taught well, it’s difficult to learn. You have to want it. People who have talent in creative writing overcome their deficits in this area by reading well and persevering in their efforts to nail down the ins and outs of proper usage of the English language. Of course it can be stretched and stylized but not without understanding the mechanics of it in the first place.

A popular question seems to be, “Can writers be made or is it a gift, maybe innate ability?” The answers are varied, the conclusions subjective. An individual can learn all the mechanics of storytelling. He can have a great imagination and follow a formula to create a novel. Whether or not that novel will possess whatever it needs to gain recognition or praise is impossible to predict. Will it contain the passion of a writer who invests heart and soul into his work because of the inherent desire to write? I don’t know. A mechanical approach or a formulaic writer could hit upon a topic of interest and snag a faithful following.

Reading is tantamount to writing. The voices, styles, creations of other writers and their novels inspire and provoke the need to write for those who have “the call”. Some authors restrict their reading once they’ve entered into the creative market not willing to be influenced by their contemporaries, but, still, they read to keep the fires stoked. Some writers use film and other media to supplement the inspiration.

Writing comes down to desire and grit. It demands time, attention, focus, skills, and imagination. There are no substitutes for any of those. What might separate those who know they simply must write from those with the acquired skills is that commercial success is not the determining factor for continuing to write. The reasons for wanting that kind of success are probably different in the realm of Christian writers but not necessarily.

Anyway, a writer must experience the fullness of teaching, learning, and reading to be the best he can be. Then he simply has to write.

Father, teach us more about you, help us to learn your ways, inspire us to read more of your Word. Then direct us to write. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The interpretations of romance range from fluff to subtle intimations of love-inducing gestures. Many men cringe at the word and certainly balk at the thought of reading a “romance novel” associating it with sap, Fabio, and ripped bodices or prim and blushing little English women.

Maybe my idea of romance is slightly different from the norm while also being inclusive of traditional romantic ideals. Romance is individual. It’s often so subtle those not involved wouldn’t recognize it in operation.

Some women are what I call High Maintenance. They require all the traditional acts associated with the word romance. They need the flowers, the hand-written notes, the jewelry, the fancy restaurant dinners, the “date nights”, the gifts to mark every occasion—don’t dare forget Valentine’s Day, gentlemen. A bit obsessive. If you don’t provide these romantic notions, they feel “unloved”.

Other women just want their men to take them out, treat them special, buy them something they really want, and let them know they’re loved.

Sometimes all of the aforementioned hoopla has nothing to do with real romance. They’re learned behaviors, practiced to perfection by some and completely blown by others. Women are as guilty as men in this department in their unflinching demands of certain behaviors to “prove” love.

In my opinion romance must begin in the heart. It comes from a place where something out of the norm is inspired by emotion, feeling, and desire. For most men it culminates in sexual intimacy. For many women it produces a sense of security—if even for the short term. Makes them feel appreciated, special somehow, and attractive to the one who has shown them “favor”.

So, a romance novel implements all or some of the above, and, depending upon what kind of fiction one reads, it can also contain graphic sexual escapades which reduce the real definition of the novel from romance to erotic.

Having been a self-confessed “die-hard romantic”, oddly enough category romance is generally not appealing to me. That’s why I’ve termed my novels non-traditional romance because they focus more on the heart of relationship not only between people but between people and the Lord. They also contrast the worldview of sexual relationships to God’s view of the same. The stories are about real situations and decisions made by people who know Jesus and those who don’t. Romance is included in all its various forms but isn’t really the total focus.

I am not of the “high maintenance” variety of women. In fact, I’m pretty low maintenance. And even though I love romance, it’s the little things which give me the extra heartbeat or bring tears to my eyes. Even if the sound of the word makes some of you guys cringe, without a little romance a relationship can be awfully bland and uninspiring.

God, you are the author of all good things. You are love. It seems you are willing to instruct all who desire to learn the heart of love since you embody it. Let all hearts be open to the art of loving at every level. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

“I still don’t quite get how you love the fuller, richer, slower-paced story and still love some of the stories you love. Some day you’ll have to try to explain it to me.”
Rebecca Luella Miller in her reply to my comments on George Bryan Polivka’s fantasy/pirate prequel novel Blaggard’s Moon.

Today’s post is in response to the above quotation by Rebecca Luella Miller (aka Becky to most of us). It got me to thinking a bit about my tastes in fiction, if and how they’ve changed, and the whys and wherefores of my likes and dislikes. So, Becky: this one’s for you.

Let me start by saying I’ve never read C. S. Lewis or Tolkien. Geez, I can hear the gasps all over the worldwide web with that admission. But it’s true. I tried to read The Screwtape Letters, but the language was halting for me. I preferred Randy Alcorn’s contemporary version Lord Foulgrin’s Letters. Anyway, I’m not a cartoon person, although I appreciate the skills of brilliant animation and computer generated images. And consequently or in addition to that admission, I am not a fantasy reader. For me, to sit and watch “The Lord of the Rings” gets boring quite quickly. Same with “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” and “Prince Caspian”, even though I thought all of them were well done.

I rarely read Sci-fi because that kind of speculation into the future generally annoys me unless it seems very realistic which is probably why I enjoyed Austin Boyd’s Mars Hill Classified Trilogy. Austin’s authenticity and knowledge of space travel made the incredible story believable and very entertaining.

So let me conclude my dislikes with historical novels, chick-lit, and some cozy mysteries (if what I perceive them to be is accurate). I have only read a handful of historical novels and those mostly because of extreme recommendations either from certain friends or because of a particular curiosity.

Now . . . I used to read mostly romance novels in the Christian fiction realm. Some were very good, rich, deep. Some were not. Many were “category romance” so with as much as I read, they became too formulaic to enjoy. Now I read mostly suspense, mystery, and thriller novels. And I also read novels which are difficult to shove into specific genres.

I prefer stories which provide rich characters and authors with distinct voices, or I enjoy authors who manage to stay out of the picture and let their characters and stories take me wherever they want me to go. Two very different examples of the latter kind of writer are Ted Dekker and Davis Bunn.

Authors with very distinct voices and much varied styles are Robert Liparulo, Susan Meissner, Lisa Samson, Claudia Mair Burney, Chris Fabry, Tom Morrisey, Harry Kraus, Kristen Heitzmann, Brandilyn Collins, Tim Downs, Don Brown, James Scott Bell, Athol Dickson, and Mary DeMuth to name a few. I have read everything some of these novelists have written.

My attempt at explaining why I like novels which could be considered opposites probably culminates in the author’s voice and the appeal of the characters. The story must work, but more importantly I have to enjoy who I’m “listening” to in the process of that story developing.

How does that work for ya, Becky?

Father, thank you for all the transitions, different paths along the writing and reading roads. You see before me, go before me, make my paths straight. You are amazing, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.