Into the Fire

Outlier . . .

 

                            

 

outlier: n. 1.A portion of anything that exists or lies apart from the main body or system to which it belongs

I interviewed for my first job at the barn of a respected trainer on the backstretch at Longacres Racetrack in a mini-dress, high heels, and two-shaded octagonal sunglasses. It's safe to say I appeared as an outlier. For a reason known only to God, the boss's daughter hired me and told me to come back in a week. Of course when I returned, I wore Levis, a flannel shirt, and work boots. Then I looked the part but was racetrack green (and that's not in reference to any facet of the environment). I threw my heart and soul into learning the various parts of caring for and training the magnificent Thoroughbreds, and, although this city girl didn't quite fit in with the racetrack natives, I persevered to gain my place in the racing scene.

I attended a few writing conferences after finishing seven novels. Having self-published three of those, you could still say I'm an outlier. Not quite fitting into the publishing industry. With several published author friends I'm still well out on the periphery of the biz and will probably remain here.

Not the most comfortable place to reside and not sure why I seem to occupy the fringe of places I want to be, it creates an observation level that reveals viewpoints not easily visualized from an insider's dwelling.

I'm a people person but prefer one-on-ones to a crowded bunch. Intimate conversations that take time to develop and reveal heart situations rather than small talk which reveals little. Private moments rich with emotion instead of silliness and canned laughter. Gut-level insights over repetitious responses and platitudes.

In my own skin . . .

 

Father, you made me. Help me to keep being made into the one you designed me to be. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Expressions, cliches, and other verbal assaults . . .

 

                    

 

You can say or write anything you want, but that doesn't guarantee it will be appreciated or well received. Favorite expressions you love to hate?

"Not to beat a dead horse . . . " (Outside of just common distaste for this descriptive expression, I have to admit it makes a point. Doesn't mean I have to like it in spite of having used it myself.)

"Can't have your cake and eat it too." (Really?)

How 'bout yours?

 

Father, help us to paint effectively with words. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

They're just words . . .

 

    

Quick! Off the top of your head - and excepting cuss words - what words do you hate whenever you hear them or see them used in a story (but not in dialogue).

Here are a couple of mine:

Keen, keening (as in lamenting, not as in "peachy keen")

Issues (so overused in current times)

 

Father, let our words matter and be meaningful. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

 

Do not be quick with your mouth,

do not be hasty in your heart

to utter anything before God.

God is in heaven

and you are on earth,

so let your words be few.

As a dream comes when there are many cares,

so the speech of a fool when there are many words.

. . .

Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.

 

Ecclesiastes 5:2-3; 7 (NIV)

Friday Five

 

        

 

 

Five random things for Friday:

1. One of my favorite places in Europe when I was there: Aix en Provence (France).

2. I've written seven novels and have three in progress.

3. One of my favorite memories from young childhood is swinging on my dad's bicep.

4. Of all the racetracks I've been to, the now gone Longacres is my favorite. That's where it all began.

5. I once performed a monologue Easter play in church.

 

Lord, I belong to you. Thank you for my life. Thank you for loving me through it all - even when I was far from you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The hardest genre to write . . .

 

   

 

I know it's crazy silly to say this, but I hope by the time you finish reading this post you'll understand what I mean.

The hardest genre to write is romance. Go ahead. Laugh it up. I know. Why then has everyone and their mother, aunt, sister, daughter written or read one? Certainly not because it's "hard" to do.

Let me be more specific. There is not one romantic story to tell which hasn't been told. Not one hero or heroine who hasn't been written. Not one quandary, not one separation, get- together, argument, trial, making up, etc. that hasn't been portrayed in words. As Solomon so rightly exclaimed eons ago, "There's nothing new under the sun."

Well, you say, that could be said about any novel, any story. And you're right. And, besides, you add, romance readers are the ones who buy those same stories over and over again, so what's the problem? No problem really, and you'd be right again.

But, really, there is a problem. For an original touch to penetrate the pages of a romance novel? Nearly impossible. And there lies the difficulty: originality. Who cares?! you ask. Well, as a writer, I care. And, as a reader, I care. I'm weary of reading just a few very sparsely spaced worthwhile romances. And maybe I'm in the minority. In fact, there's probably no "maybe" about it. And if originality is in short supply in any romance novel, it's exceptionally so in CBA romance novels. Christian romance novels typically include the church going lovers - who really aren't lovers in the sexual sense, the appropriate scriptures in times of trials and resisting romantic inclinations, the not-right-for-each-other until God intervenes and shows them they are the perfect match . . . Well, you get my drift which might contain a bit of exaggeration. It's just all so . . . predictable and formulaic. I know, I know: I always say that. Could be because it's true.

So. I reiterate. To write an interesting, atypical romance novel without the inclusion of gimmicky urban fantasy? Perhaps the hardest genre to write.

 

Father, help me. That's all I can say. In every way, in everything, in every endeavor: please help me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.   

 

2013 Christy Award Nominees

 

Highly recommend this post by Katherine Coble before or after perusing this year's nominees.

 

                          

 

Contemporary Romance

The Breath of Dawn* by Kristen Heitzmann (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker
Publishing Group)

Lethal Legacy by Irene Hannon (Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

Contemporary Series, Sequels, and Novellas/

Two Destinies by Elizabeth Musser (David C Cook)

You Don't Know Me by Susan May Warren (Tyndale House Publishers)

Waiting for Sunrise by Eva Marie Everson (Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Contemporary Standalone

The Air We Breathe by Christa Parrish (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing
Group)

Borders of the Heart* by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House Publishers)

Not in the Heart* by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House Publishers)

First Novel

Into the Free by Julie Cantrell (David C Cook)

Tangled Ashes by Michèle Phoenix (Tyndale House Publishers)

Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green (River North, an imprint of Moody Press)

Historical

Flame of Resistance by Tracy Groot (Tyndale House Publishers)

Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green (River North, an imprint of Moody Press)

A Wreath of Snow by Liz Curtis Higgs (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

Historical Romance

Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing
Group)

Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

Love's Reckoning by Laura Frantz (Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Suspense

Downfall by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian
Publishing)

The Last Plea Bargain by Randy Singer (Tyndale House Publishers)

Rare Earth* by Davis Bunn (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing
Group)

Submerged* by Dani Pettrey (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing
Group)

*This category includes four nominees due to a tie in scoring.

Visionary

Daughter of Light by Morgan L. Busse (Marcher Lord Press)

Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart (Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins Christian
Publishing)

Starflower by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker
Publishing Group)

Young Adult

Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank (Delacorte Press, a division of Random House)

Failstate by John W. Otte (Marcher Lord Press)

Interrupted: A Life Beyond Words by Rachel Coker (Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing)

*I've read these.

 

Father, thank you for your writers. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Looking back . . .

 

                         

 

Recently I had the incredible - but shocking - pleasure of being re-introduced to my far away past through the gracious and benevolent comments left on this blog and a trio of follow up emails. This individual sent me scans of three postcards mailed to him from London and Europe, circa 1968. We weren't close friends, but we met each other during the year I worked to save money to make my trip. I no doubt promised to write, took down his address, and sent a few brief epistles documenting the trip. I remembered him, I thought, but had to ask if he was who I remembered him to be. 

Our communications since his emails make it unbelievable to learn these postcards survived all these years. And what a fascinating life unfolded for this then young man. Lots of hurdles and experiences of the day. You'd have to live through the 60s and 70s to fully understand the powerful onslaught of the "drugs, sex, rock 'n' roll" generation and lifestyle. Whether or not you actually experienced it firsthand, it still made an impact.

I can't tell you how meaningful this experience has been. I know God engineered it - even back then when neither of us knew Him. And I'm so grateful for meeting him again after so many years and even more thankful that since those tumultuous times bringing us to this day, we now know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Father, thank you for the incredible inter-connections you weave together in our lives. You constantly amaze me. Thank you beyond my ability to speak, write, or think it. Please bless Jamas in your abundance. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

 

The life and death of . . . Iscariot

                          

(Originally posted as "The life and death of . . . Iscariot" on April 21, 2013.)

If you've read Demon . . . a memoir, and/or Havah, The Story of Eve, and now Iscariot: A Novel of Judas, you have learned that Tosca Lee is no amateur in scholarly research and an over-achiever when it comes to inciting thoughtful questions regarding biblical accounts. In order to write Iscariot, Tosca used over 100 books and a personal trip to Israel to attempt to answer her questions about the reviled Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus. Never short on meaningful and often beautiful prose stuffed with stark imagery, Tosca Lee has given readers a possible rendition of the man we love to hate.

Giving Judas a frantic and fearful childhood fleeing the Romans with his family, The Law dominates their lives as they faithfully complete all of the Temple rituals. Awaiting a Messiah to deliver them from Roman rule, they pursue an earthly kingdom for Israel, the two brothers hoping for eventual positions among the religious elite.

Tragic loss shoots pain and suffering into Judas' life, ripening his need for a savior. Iscariot suggests the troop of disciples struggle to grasp the ministry of Jesus but commit themselves to Him without fully understanding why. They grow to love Him, devote their lives to pursuing His ministry but are often confused by His teaching and His supposed flouting of The Law which the Pharisees vehemently insist is blasphemy. Judas in particular vacillates between awe and accusation and can't quite reconcile Jesus' conduct to the proper behavior of a Jewish man. Continuing to cling to personal ideas of Jesus as the earthly Messiah of Israel, Judas decides Jesus needs his assistance to survive the threats of the chief priests.

Iscariot, A Novel of Judas, by Tosca Lee, published by Howard Books, A Divison of Simon & Schuster, will challenge your opinions of this man whose name is synonymous with horrendous betrayal. Giving him a history, a personality, a relationship with family, religious men, and Jesus, Iscariot presents a plausible story of a man who can't quite graduate beyond the legalism of The Law. Can't quite believe the stunning and repeated examples of the miraculous and can't quite embrace the true generosity of this Jesus to the least of society. And definitely can't accept Him as the real Messiah. 

Iscariot is what the title suggests. We hear the self-told story of Judas, and we learn of his ingrained attachment to the rituals of religion, the pull of life on earth as opposed to the true Kingdom of Heaven. We know how it ends - hearing it from the Epilogue presented first - but we get many of the blanks filled in from story.

We know the Word of God is both specific and vague. There is not a great deal of information about Judas, and there's no reason to assume this isn't intentional. If I had to fault this novel, I would probably address the specifics of Luke 22:3 which tells us that Satan entered into Judas just before he went to the chief priests. Iscariot takes a more sympathetic approach to Judas and doesn't allude to this compelling and telling verse.

I can tell you this: it is possible for me to appreciate, even admire, a novel without liking it. Iscariot is very well done, at times almost Hemingway-ish in style which is odd since Tosca said the original manuscript was "nearly three times the length" of this book. And yet at times, it's poetic, visceral. Historical fiction, perhaps especially biblical historical fiction, is not my preference, but with Tosca as the author of such an intense endeavor, I couldn't pass it up.

From the personal preference department, the cover is stunning and beautifully done. I think the six pages of endorsements is over the top, but I suppose with a potentially controversial book, Howard Books (Simon & Schuster) might have thought it necessary. I do recommend Iscariot if for no other reason to read the picture of Israel at the time of Jesus' ministry, the loveliness and accuracy of Tosca's writing, and for the thought provoking questions she raises by authoring this story. 
 
Father, only you know the outcome of our lives here on earth. May I never betray you by my actions, words, or deeds, Precious Lord. I'm desperate for you, day in and day out. And no better, no stronger, no less likely to do exactly the opposite of what I want to do concerning you than any one of your creation. Lord, I lift up Tosca in all of her trials, in all of her pursuits, in all of her successes and pray your abundance in Jesus over her. Bless her determination, her inquisitiveness, her genuine heart after you. Keep her safe from all harm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

 

 

Sunday's Offerings

 

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,

or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,

or weighed the mountains on the scales

and the hills in a balance?

Who has understood the Spirit of the Lord.

or instructed him as his counselor?

Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,

or who taught him the right way?

Who was it that taught him knowledge

or showed him the path of understanding?

 

Surely the nations are like a drop in the bucket;

they are regarded as dust on the scales;

he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.

. . .

Before him all nations are nothing;

they are regarded by him as worthless

and less than nothing.

. . .

 

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

 

Isaiah 40:12-15; 17; 28-31 (NIV)

Man-made Climate Change?

 

                         

 

As a politically conservative Christian, you can no doubt figure out how I respond to the secular humanist hoax-ified claims of man-made climate change. But, as I considered this expression, I realized that, yes, the climate change argument can indeed be made that man is responsible for its cause. However, this cause does not depend on aerosols, pollution, forest cutting, and carbon emissions as some insist. It rests solely and souly on mankind's sin.

Of course this reasoning never flies with unbelievers. For secular humanists, either mankind (homo sapiens) or a superior and unidentifiable alien community is responsible for this earth and its well-being or destruction. True science is ignored in favor of inferior guesstimating from projections of man-made computer mock-ups and testimonies and admittances of  those who falsified information to support their disingenuous theories. These falsehoods continue to be projected and argued by liberal government believers across this nation and the world in spite of the true science and compelling evidence against their claims. Their voices are shrill and demanding to override their lack of substance and facts.

Once upon a time earth languished in darkness (Genesis 1:2). God made a creative decision and all things turned out "good" as only a perfect God would make them. Man originated from God's mind, made in His image (Gen. 1:27). But God did something amazing with the man and woman He created and placed in a lovely garden. He gave the man instructions (with the ability to make decisions) regarding their responsibilities living in this perfect place and only required one restriction. One tree was off limits. One tree out of all the gorgeous flora and fauna deemed a no-no because that particular tree held dangerous consequences for the man (Gen. 1:16-17). The man eventually made a decision concerning this tree, and he chose to make the wrong one. As a far-reaching consequence, he and the woman were cast out of The Garden, a supernatural barrier was erected to hide the location and forbid entrance to it, and sin flourished on earth as a result of man's disobedience while the devil celebrated his persuasive abilities to manipulate and transform God's "good" creation. This original sinful disregarding of God's warning caused the tarnished heart of mankind and the disruption of  a perfect place to the one we now occupy. Complete with climate changes and seasons that include such destructive things like tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, pestilence, tsunamis, volcanoes, avalanches and whatever else has provided chaos and death across this earth since time began, we can attribute them all to man's decision to ignore the severe warning given to him to protect him from the inevitable effects of evil.

Climate change as we know it goes back to a sinful decision to forego God's instruction to the man He created, setting the world in motion for its eventual destruction because of the depravity of sin - sin that brought death and destruction to the human race and a planet. The end of this world lies in the lap of man's conduct, but the destruction of the earth will be by the hand of God, not because of carbon footprints. So, in this respect and in this respect alone, "climate change" is man's fault.

 

God, we're slipping away. Only you can forgive us for our widespread sins. Please bring us to repentance once more as a nation. We're truly desperate for you. May the lost find you and reap the beauty of knowing Jesus. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.       

 

In the lineup . . .

 

For review and coming soon . . .

 

                

 

               

 

               

 

To name a few . . .

 

Father, thank you for these talented artists. I pray your blessing over them for all they do to further your kingdom in their own unique ways. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

Fascinating question . . .

 

Asked by Athol Dickson in response to a George Orwell quote. Your answer?

               

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Athol-Dickson/416622918355206?ref=ts&fref=ts#!/photo.php?fbid=628114457206050&set=a.452773491406815.128385.416622918355206&type=1&theater

 

Father, we need to be set free by the truth in order to write it. Help us to always look to you for reality. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Personal Favorites . . .

 

Personal because we wrote them. Who are your favorite characters that you've created?

            

No question Joey Parr of The Famous One is perhaps my favorite of my many creations. I loved him.

                            

And Michael Jamison. But I also especially liked a dead character in Breath of Life who silently played an important part in the story - at least for me.

One of my unpublished novels titled Destination featured Thomas Grand who I enjoyed and an 80 year old widow most of her friends called "Grams" who I loved creating because she was such a spitfire and an on-fire lady. Their unique friendship was a joy to write.

Who do you love of your creations?

 

Father, you are the Author of Life and all things beautiful. Thank you for giving your people the desire to create characters that breathe and display your handiwork in our make-believe worlds. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Summer reading?

 

     

 

So. Summer is a ways away - especially for those of us who are climate-challenged this spring. Nevertheless, summer reading is often casually referred to as "beach reads" and tends to give liberties to guilty pleasures in the novel department. Do you indulge guilty pleasures in the sunshine and warm temperatures? A ludicrous question for Hawaiian and Floridian natives but not so much for the rest of the country which truly experiences seasonal weather . . .

For me, I'll read any of my regular selections at any time during any season and don't reserve summer for "guilty pleasures". In fact, I don't feel guilty about anything I read. Is that a bad thing?

How about you? Are you looking forward to specific summer reading genres? Do you entertain yourself with the lighter "beach reads"?

 

Father, thank you for all kinds of reading pleasures. May we honor you with our reading and writing pleasures. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

 

You who are far away, hear what I have done:

you who are near, acknowedge my power!

The sinners in Zion are terrified;

trembling grips the godless:

"Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?

Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?"

He who walks righteously

and speaks what is right,

who rejects extortion

and keeps his hand from accepting bribes,

who stops his ears against plots of murder

and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil --

this is the man who will dwell on the heights,

whose refuge will be the mountain fortress.

 

Isaiah 33:13-16 (NIV)

Don't make waves . . .

 

                        

 

Sit quiet with your hands folded on your desk. Don't ask any questions. Just write your stories and praise your publisher, your editor, and your agent. Be a good little writer and wait until we don't want you anymore.

Hey, I'm sure it's not like that. That was just a snarky opener. Yes, there's a tiny truth in there, but probably not enough to matter.

Here's the main thing. If it's your nature to accept, to "sit quiet", then do it. I can say it used to be mine. A long time ago. Maybe it was growing up in the tumultuous 60s and 70s that brought the change. Maybe it was when authorities power-grabbed instead of being respectful of their positions. Maybe it was when I started to examine motives more closely and discerned the heart of man. I don't know. At some point, people had to earn my respect and demonstrate they deserved to be an authority. During some period of my life, what I had to do needed to make sense to me before it got done - other than basic speed limits or No Trespassing.

I don't want to generally "make waves" mostly because my wave making is off so far in some remote region as to go unnoticed by anyone anywhere, but there's one area where I will not cease to stir the waters. It has proven to be damaging to a certain extent but beneficial in other ways. It's a risk worth taking. I love my country. God blessed me with being born in this country, one nation under God, and I intend to go down fighting for it if necessary. I will make waves, I will shout from the housetops, I will not be silent about the destruction being perpetrated on this country by a crooked and ruthless regime that believes in nothing this country was built on and fought for by brave men and women. It's being disgraced and dismantled by a group of people who don't value its sovereignty or its heritage or the law of this land: the Constitution of the United States of America.

Writers can choose their topics of discussion and conveniently stay out of the controversial "religion and politics" arena. Secular humanists will continue to incorporate their worldviews in their work, and Christians can choose to do the same. Discussing their opinions on these electric topics in any public forum can elicit postive or negative attention and publicity. Again, it's a risk because those who resent the writer's opinions can decline to support them by not buying their work.

Many have chosen to keep their literary publicity on placid lakes without making waves. Christians tend to clothe their choices in the "love" themes with refrains of not "judging" others. Secular writers have no such motivations, but, for some, if sales reflect unfavorably, there will be those who withdraw and slip into silence with the objective of selling their wares more effectively. (Hollywood filmmaking must have missed the memo because their liberal agendas in producing movies have failed miserably at the box office.) 

The trashing of my country matters more to me than book sales or my "career". I will not sit down and shut up. I will not ignore the obvious and let it go. I will pray fervently and hope God will act soon, but if He allows our nation to perish because of the filthy vile sin going on before Him today, then I will know His return is imminent. Just as He told us.

So, if you wish to abandon this outspoken female who will not stop "sharing" those patriotic, factual posts here, on Facebook or Twitter, it's your perogative because I will definitely not stop making waves. Not until this ship is sunk. 

 

Father, thank you for loyalty, patriotism, truth, and honor. These don't come naturally to us. Every good and perfect gift comes from you, and apart from you, we can do nothing. I love you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

There today . . .

 

 

Not "there" in the picture but there here. Lovely view of a pretty place, huh? A question waits for you over there.

 

Lord, thank you for all that you do, so much of which I cannot see with my human eyes. I love you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

This week . . .

 

                       

This week's posts have an edge to them. One might think I have something against Christian publishers. I don't. Without understanding their need to shield themselves within their so far successful industry, it is working for them overall even though they've excluded many readers and, for that reason, many writers.

This has never been about incorporating the usage of vulgar language, graphic sexual scenes, or a typical worldly approach to the Christian venue of fiction. Not at all. In my opinion novels written by Christians should be the most insightful, the richest, the deepest, the most imaginative, and the most entertaining of all of literature because of the vitality of the Holy Spirit. These serious criticisms of the Christian publishing industry arose from the repetitive offerings composing most of their fare and the seeming need to produce more of the same in spite of conference speakers and professional blogs, etc., which insist the opposite is true. 

I'm well aware of those Christians who aren't familiar with His voice, who go through life relying more on their "intuition" than the desires of the God who saved them. I'm also aware of those Christians who live a restricted and rigid formula void of the daring of inspired conduct and the fullness of grace. Somewhere in the middle of those Christians reside layers of other believers who endeavor to go deeper into this One who knows no end or beginning and can never be fully known by those He created because of His infinite being. In each of those classifications there are readers of stories, many of whom read exclusively in the Christian fiction market and many of whom desire to do so but fail to find the kind of books they're hoping for, either because they've sampled the obvious choices and come away disappointed or unimpressed or because they have no idea where to begin their search for meaningful literature within its ranks.

This isn't a blame game but rather an acknowledgment of weaknesses and vulnerabilities in a profitable business. Most businesses look for ways to expand, to reach more of the consumer market, to build their base. Christian publishing seems to be satisfied with its small but steady and profitable portion of the market even though very low percentages of their authors earn back advances thus reducing advances in recent times. Could it be their readership is shrinking? Could it be their non-fiction market carries them? I don't know.

As always, my opinions for this week . . .

 

Father, please help your people to pursue your will above our own in every area of our lives. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Don't rock the boat, baby.

 

     

 

I'm not a boater. Not fond of deep water. Of any kind. So I could say wherever there's a boat on water, it won't be me rocking it.

But metaphorically speaking, yeah, I'm rocking the boat. I'm trying to tip it over and empty its contents, sending them all into the nether-regions of inaccessibility. I'm not adhering to the author protocol, the CBA acceptable norm, the politically correct quietness, or the falsely encouraging "never give up" platitude of the publishing industry.

Christianity is a decision to believe Jesus is God, came to earth to deliver His people from their sins by putting those sins to death on a cross and enduring a brutal death which He allowed, was resurrected to life, and sits at the right hand of the Father while being omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. Christianity means the Holy Spirit who is God takes up residence supernaturally in those people who choose to believe Jesus is who He says He is, who accept His sacrifice through repentance and forgiveness, and yield their lives to God. Period. Then those Christians follow Jesus by learning God's word, living God's word - hard as it sometimes is - and sharing God's word under the direction and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Thumbnail sketch of Christianity. No rocking the boat here.

"Christian" publishers of fiction live by the rules of their individual houses. Some set mission-oriented goals. Others set requirements, standards, and practices. Authors/writers wishing to enter the world of Christian publishing do their best to find the group which fits them best. Making no waves and sailing on smooth waters, for some of them it's easy and without conflict. For others, there are some choppy waters, some righting the ship, some taming of rough seas, but they survive the tipping boat and stay the course. The uneven trip reminds them that at any time they could hear the "Man overboard!" echoing in their water-filled ears.

For the last few years since the economy tanked, since the publishers got skittish, since e-publishing appeared like a daunting iceberg, and since Christian fiction imploded into more of the "safe", "clean", and "chaste" directives, I, for one, am reading less of it. I have always emphasized there are wonderful and exciting exceptions to these claims, but they are in short supply and vastly outnumbered by the safe-clean-chaste formulaic and predictable fare. I find this more than merely disheartening. I think it's disturbing.

As the world exalts its evil in every aspect of our societies, Christian fiction offers sweet and nice. Nothing wrong with sweet and nice or escapist literature as long as there is also the reality of life in the mix. Somewhere. In CBA there are horrifying serial killers a la the novels by Steven James and there are unlimited numbers of Amish fiction. There are cute little romances and then there is the beautiful and wondrous The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson.

A few of the best and most unique Christian authors have slipped away from CBA, turned loose by their publishers for lesser sales than they'd hoped to gain but only after somewhat shoddy marketing efforts by the publishers and a certain discomfort with their novels. The discomfort arose from CBA's notorious demographic making noise about various aspects of the novels written by these individuals. And accepting the fact that the CBA demographic won't tolerate much variation, these particular well known publishers pulled the plug on further offerings from these exceptional authors.

It's a shame when an industry as successful as Christian publishing becomes unwilling to take chances and appeal to a greater audience. It's sad to think the major Christian publishers remain satisfied with the status quo and the "traditions of men", to trail behind the entrepreneurs of publishing to remain safe with the tried - but tired - and true.

 

Father, you lead us all. The only thing that matters is following you. Help us to do that well. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.