Author Interview ~ Cheryl Wolverton

Cheryl Wolverton has 1.5 million books in print. She sold her first book in 1996 and is still crafting her novels today. Full time in the ministry, she works with children 3-12 years old and runs a youth center. She’s been married twenty-five years and has two wonderful children.

She spends her extra time as a professional editor for upcoming and established authors, and creates web pages at affordable prices for authors (as she says, authors can’t afford some of those prices out there). She loves to hear from fans. You can find out more about her here

What new book or project do you have coming out?

I have re-releases, but I am currently working on a non-fiction—two actually.

How did you come up with this story? Was there a specific 'what if' moment?

The book is about MS. It’s a faction, fiction and fact together. It’s my story with a Bible study and truth attached to each chapter. It’s meant to help someone who is going through a struggle of recent diagnosis to acceptance.

Tell us about your publishing journey. How long had you been writing before you got a contract? How did you find out and what went through your mind?

I wrote four years before selling my first novel! I heard that Steeple Hill was starting a new line and actually, I sent it in the next day. I heard back in three weeks, and the story wasn’t done. I sat down and wrote the rest of the story in two weeks, non-stop and within another 3 weeks….well, I heard a message on my answering machine (I still have the tape) to call them. I did and they wanted to buy, but not only that, they told me they wanted me to be one of the premiere authors and wanted to build me into one of their top authors—which they did. That’s a lot to take in on a first call.

All I could think was, wow…I had grocery sacks in my hands when I came in, dropped them by the answering machine. I told Ann Canadeo I would call her back (I wanted an agent before I agreed to what she had offered) called an agent—who had just rejected me—and they took me on. My husband came home; I was still on the phone calling friends. He put up the groceries, fixed hamburgers for dinner and cleaned the kitchen before I got off the phone calling everyone.

Do you ever struggle with writer's block? If so, how do you overcome it?

Good heavens yes! I just went through one of the worst years I’ve had. I simply stopped writing. I was so burned out that I simply dreaded coming to the computer to write. I asked God about what to do—he told me to leave where I was writing, and coward that I am, I wasn’t 100% SURE it was Him, so I put out a fleece and boy did God fulfill the fleece. I was so relieved. Then I prayed and I felt God saying He was leading me in a new direction.

So I stayed in prayer and simply waited on God/am still waiting…but I find I am slowly being refilled and actually can write some now. And it doesn’t feel like a chore, like I m forcing myself. The art part of writing is coming back, instead of deadlines and demands and writing for someone who doesn’t like your style (my last editor! LOL)

Where do you write? Do you have a dedicated office or a corner or nook in a room?

Don’t laugh. I write in bed. I have a laptop and find sitting in bed is the best place. It’s too bright outside or you’d probably find me out there writing! I do have an office, but we just moved so we had to combine it with my husband’s and it’s back in our bedroom (where I first started writing—I’ve come full circle)

Do you have a word or page goal you set for each day?

I am a seat of the pants writer. If I really like the story, I can write up to 20-40 pages a day easily. My best selling stories are the ones I wrote in 2 or 3 weeks. My worst selling story took me 4 months to write!

What does a typical day look like for you?

Oh boy…life is crazy. I am in full time ministry, so there are those who call that I am working with. Plus I run an at risk youth center and I am in charge of Wed. Night kids along with my husband. So that is a lot of it. Then add into that writing, editing and webpage creation. I don’t have a slow moment. Did I mention exchange student and MS?

I get up at 7 a.m. I drive Mariko to school at 8 a.m. I come home and have my Bible time and prayer. Clean the house, work on my wed program if it’s the first part of the week, work on my Bible Study for Friday and Sunday if it’s the last half (I teach older girls on sun night and we have a short bible study on Friday’s in our house and a movie).

Then it’s free time. Then Mariko is home and we work on homework. Finally, writing time…evening around 10pm. My husband is asleep in bed; I pull the computer up, open what I am working on and write. I insist on being done with computer time at Midnight because I have to have some sleep at some point!

If the story is really moving then I write also between around 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Otherwise it’s only night time.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?

Rexanne Becnal told me advice she’d once heard from someone. It is that it takes you 4-6 years to get a professional degree. Why in the world would you expect to be published sooner than that?

I add to that: It takes time to learn your craft, the ins and outs, how to edit, etc., and if you work at it for those 4-6 years then that’s the important thing. You are going to have books rejected. But you have to finish that first book, submit it and start a second one, an when the second one is done, start submitting it out…and so forth. You get your name out there. They’ll see improvement in each story—and if you are consistent, eventually they are going to buy you!

What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in writing? In publishing?

To be more honest with the editors. My all time favorite editor used to say, “I asked the people in the office and they all agree….” About changing something…that would absolutely kill me when she said that. I would go insane at the house…..It would have been so much easier to say Patience, why are you saying that. Just tell me: It’s gotta be changed. I’d be a lot happier.

The second thing is that all editors (except the above mentioned) lie. I don’t think I’ve found a single editor that is honest. They say what they think is going to pacify the author. It drives me insane. But, if I had simply accepted that and learned to shrug it off, I would have saved a lot of hours getting frustrated with them.

How much marketing do you do? What have you found that particularly works well for you?

Well, marketing does work. Putting ads in RT, speaking with online groups. Making up postcards and sending a newsletter. These are all great ideas. I got a quote for my first book from Debbie MacComber. I really think that helped a lot since she is so well known. I mean, when I was a reader, getting a quote front of the book would draw my attention if it was an author I read.

You have to budget it. If you are really wanting to push the book, negotiate with your company (unless it’s steeple hill) about how much they are doing in marketing. Ask them for suggestions. And then get the word out.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

KEEP WRITING. I cannot tell you that enough. And listen to critique partners only when two or three agree to it. I edit books professionally, and one of the things I've found is the first three chapters edited to death, and nothing beyond that. Or that’s all they have done of the book, and all they’ll ever have done.

Also, listen to editors. They WANT to buy you. If they give you advice, or actually tell you to resubmit—then that is so absolutely above what they normally do, it means they really LIKE you. So do it! They’re not out there seeing who they can reject.

And finally make sure you make it as EASY for the editor as possible. Be as short and concise with your synopsis as possible and make sure the opening of your book sings! Check the spelling etc. Don’t waste their time and you’ll get a lot further.

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Interview with TitleTrakk.com's, C.J. Darlington

Titletrakk is known as "Your Christian book and music terminal," and is run by sisters Tracy and C.J. Darlington. C. J.'s short fiction has appeared in various national publications including Live, Listen, Gems of Truth, Standard and Evangel. C.J. is currently working on her second novel, Innocent Blood.

What is TitleTrakk.com?

TitleTrakk.com is an interactive website spotlighting Christian books, music & movies. We feature surveys, polls, contests, author and musician interviews, book and album reviews, music videos, movie reviews and book excerpts. The site's tagline is "Your Christian Book, Music, & Movie Terminal." That's what we want TitleTrakk.com to be--a website where people of all walks can discover the amazing options available to them in Christian books, music and movies today.

As you know, the Christian entertainment industry has exploded in recent years, maturing with real quality. We want to show that.

Tell us how you and your sister masterminded this idea.

Ever since I was young I've loved books. They've been a huge passion in my life. My twin sister Tracy (who's also a freelance writer) feels the same about music. We got to brainstorming about ways we could do some writing together.

At first, TitleTrakk.com was just a way we could combine our writing interests. The plan was Tracy would provide content on music, I would cover the book angle. But we've quickly grown beyond that (including the addition of movie coverage).

We now have an incredibly talented team of writers working with us to bring TitleTrakk.com readers top-notch content. It's exciting.

What do you hope to accomplish with it?

Our goal is to bring these authors, musicians and filmmakers to the forefront, revealing something for every person's taste. We see ministry opportunity as well. Someone who might not know there IS an alternative to a lot of the not-so-cool stuff put out in the secular world can come to our site and be inspired to read/listen/watch something uplifting and edifying they might not otherwise have known existed.

We also hope Christians will be exposed to new material. Maybe they’ll buy a book they see featured and give it to their agnostic neighbor. Or they’ll give a cd to the teen behind the counter at McDonald’s. Or take a depressed friend to a movie that will build them up.

How did you learn the technical aspects of putting this together and getting it to readers?

Pretty much the way we learn everything—through trial and error. Tracy and I knew very little about website design when we came into this. If we got something right, it’s only thanks to the Lord. He’s blessed us above what we could ask or imagine.

From where did the name originate?

One night Tracy and I were brainstorming. We wanted to come up with a name that applied to both books and music. (We hadn’t yet branched out into movies.) We still have the sheet of paper with all the name combinations. Somehow we hit upon the train theme. Then after a little bit Tracy just said, “Title Trakk”. And the rest was history. I was writing the names down, and I immediately circled that one and we ran with it.

It's amazing with the e-zine being so new that you've secured such big-name interviews, ie. Francine Rivers, Jerry Jenkins, The Newsboys, etc. Were you surprised that TitleTrakk.com has been accepted so freely?

Every day we’re surprised, and incredibly thankful, for the doors God’s opened for us.

I don't recall seeing advertisers on TitleTrakk.com. Why not?

Actually, we are very much interested in advertisers. We have a great banner slot available. If anyone’s interested, feel free to contact us for rates.

What surprising benefits have you or your sister received through putting out this e-zine?

It’s been a pleasure to pick the brains of all the authors, musicians, and filmmakers we’ve had the chance to interview. We gain insights from every one.

Is producing Titletrakk as much work as it appears to be?

Yes!

What do you hope for the future of TitleTrakk.com?

That more and more people would find out about us. We would like to become a “terminal” for all that’s available in Christian and family-friendly entertainment. I can’t wait to see where the Lord has taken us in a year from now.

How can one sign up to receive the TitleTrakk.com newsletter, “On

Trakk”?

It’s really easy. Just visit this page on the site: http://www.titletrakk.com/newsletter_signup.html

We hold a drawing every month, and we pick a name from our subscriber list to receive a free book or cd. So sign up today!

You're also an aspiring novelist. Tell us more about that.

My first novel Thicker Than Blood is about two estranged sisters who meet again after fifteen years. But what makes the story a little different is the antiquarian book angle. My background is in used and rare bookselling, so half of the story takes place in or around a large used bookstore called Dawson's Barn of Books, and I get to incorporate some fascinating rare book tidbits into the story.

In fact, a first edition For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway plays a big part in the story's outcome. The other half of the book takes place on a working cattle ranch and shows the gritty and unpredictable way of life for today's ranchers who live on the edge of extreme beauty, hardship, and danger.

Currently I'm writing my second novel, Innocent Blood. It's a sequel to Thicker Than Blood in that some of the main characters of my first novel become minor characters in the second. And again, rare books play an important role. This time I'm featuring a rare copy of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Did you know first editions with dust jackets can be worth over 30 grand? Let's just say someone wants this book bad enough to murder for it. However, it’s not a murder mystery or a suspense. My main characters are a troubled seventeen-year-old-girl and a female police officer.

Parting words?

I’d just like to encourage all you aspiring writers out there reading this blog. Know that you can be as called to write as a preacher is called to preach. If God’s put the desire in your heart, He has a way to fulfill it. Patience is the name of the game. Commit your work to the Lord and trust Him. He will always be faithful.

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Gorilla Moments

By Mike Duran

Mike lives in Southern California with his wife Lisa and four grown children. Chosen as one of ten authors for Infuze Magazine’s 2005 print anthology, Mike’s short stories have also appeared in Forgotten Worlds, Alienskin, Dragons, Knights and Angels, as well as the forthcoming Winter Issue of Relief Journal. His non-fiction is featured in The Matthew’s House Project and Relevant Magazine Online, and Novel Journey. Mike has written an unpublished novel entitled What Faith Awakes and is currently at work on a second. You can peruse his weekly ruminations at www.mikeduran.com.



Leslie Hand, founder of Movie Glimpse, tells the story about a Catholic woman working on the set of the Hollywood blockbuster, E.T, and the brief exchange she had with director Steven Spielberg. During filming, Melissa Mathison and the cinematographer suddenly realized the similarities between the plot and the story of Jesus Christ. “His being left on earth, being found, his apostles, dying, the resurrection. We were cracking up when we figured out that one. When we told Steven [Spielberg], he said, ‘I’m Jewish, and I don’t want to hear anything about this.’”


Professor Richard Wiseman might refer to this as a “gorilla moment”. The concept is developed in his book, Did You Spot the Gorilla? How to Recognize Hidden Opportunities.

The Amazon synopsis explains:

In a recent series of ground-breaking psychological experiments, volunteers were shown a 30-second film of some people playing basketball and told to count the number of passes made with the ball. After just a few seconds, a man dressed as a gorilla slowly walked into frame, beat his chest at the camera, and sauntered off. Unbelievably, almost none of the people watching the film noticed the gorilla. Exactly the same psychological mechanisms that cause people to miss the gorilla also make them miss unexpected but vitally important opportunities in their professional and personal lives.


It’s been said, we live in a “God-haunted” world. According to Scripture, the Creator infuses the cosmos with His presence; He roams the byways of nature and ambles through the everyday; He haunts our films, literature, language and myth. Or, to lift a line from Elvis Costello’s song Green Shirt, "Who put these fingerprints on my imagination?" Well, Scripture says God did. King David once issued a similar plea as Mr. Costello: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7 NIV). Like Wiseman’s gorilla, God constantly meanders into the scene, leaving fingerprints strewn like a bumbling felon.

The trick is being able to spot them.


When it comes to contemporary culture, I think Christians are often guilty of missing the Gorilla. David Dark, in his book Everyday Apocalypse, suggests that spiritual truths permeate pop culture. To the observant eye, the sacred is everywhere. Dark purports that musical artists like Beck, Radiohead and U2, films like The Matrix and The Truman Show, and TV programs like The Simpsons all reflect subtle, subversive Kingdom principles. But rather than relishing these gorilla moments, Christians often resort to counting curse words and frowning upon accompanying indecencies. To some, it doesn’t matter that Bono is dangerously close preaching the Gospel—what matters is that he cursed three times in the process.


The Christian author must be adept at spotting the Gorilla, looking beyond the crude and commonplace to affirm the God Who is there. One of Jesus’ favorite lines was, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” (Matthew 13: 24, 31, 33, 44, 47). According to Christ, the kingdom of heaven was like wheat and tares, seeds and soil, birds and flowers—it was right there if they only opened their eyes. That’s a gorilla moment, when suddenly the kingdom of God isn’t a vague concept, it’s the field ripe for harvest, the sparrow building its nest, or the tears of a penitent son.

In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul stood at the altar of the Unknown God and said,
Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. (Acts 17:23 NIV)


He then proceeded to quote the pagan poet Menander: “‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring’” (Acts 17:28). Rather than rebuke their unenlightened mythology, Paul peeled back the literary skin to disclose the real Object of their longing.


I wonder that this is one of the charges of the Christian writer—to unveil the Unknown God. Jesus did this not by sermonizing, but by storytelling. He spoke of rich idiots and impoverished saints, bad stewards and good Samaritans. Christ’s parables were anything but feel-good moralistic tomes. At times, they left their hearers with unhinged jaws. Jesus roused the religious gatekeepers by absolving prostitutes and vilifying the cultural elites. In doing so, He shocked His audience into the realization of the Gorilla in their midst.


Not only must we forge whopping good tales, we must populate them with gorilla moments. And really, they’re all around us. Pop culture is awash with His fingerprints. Whether it’s E.T. rising from the dead, Ahab sinking with his obsession or Darth Vader returning from the Dark Side, we need not look far for echoes of redemption, harbingers of the coming Kingdom. “For now we see through a glass, darkly…” (I Cor. 13:12). Yes. But to the keen eye and the open heart, there are gorillas everywhere.

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Sunday Devotion: And what do you do?

Janet Rubin

My friend Christina drove up the mile-long driveway that led through a towering forest. I watched eagerly for sight of the house. What kind of people had a driveway this long? Soon a large sign came into view—a carved wooden sign reading, “Harmony Hill.” What kind of people named their property? Memories of Scarlett O’hara and her plantation, Tara, came to mind as the imposing house rose before us. Warm light streamed from the many grand windows and projected long golden rectangles on the snowy lawn.

The owners were a well-to-do Polish couple who were hosting a piano concert to raise money for scholarships for young aspiring pianists. They’d hired a world renowned pianist to put on a full concert of Chopin pieces. Somehow, my friend Christina (a supervisor at a company that makes gauges for the marine industry) had gotten an invitation, and invited me (a stay-at-home mom and wannabe writer) to come along.

So here I was, standing in a kitchen the size of my entire house, accepting the offer of a Brazilian cheese ball from a woman carrying a tray and offering hors d’ourves, a glass of wine in one hand, and my eyes roaming the walls and taking in the expensive art displayed at every turn.

I found my self chatting with a woman name Betsy who lived in New York City, but drove in for the concert. She told of how she’d grown bored producing PBS documentaries, had sold her share of the business to her partner and now studied painting under a master artist. Her boyfriend, a white-haired pole of a man, bragged about the opera he’d just finished writing, which had taken him eight years to complete.

"What do you do?" she asked.

Before I could stop her, Christina opened her mouth and blurted, “Oh, Janet’s a great writer.”

Now Betsy and John leaned forward, waiting to hear about my accomplishments.

“What do you write?” Betsy asked.

“Uh…um…this and that…” I could feel my face and ears turning redder than the ruby on Betsy’s finger. My mind raced. I could say I had written Harry Potter under my pen name, Rowling. No, that wouldn’t be good. I tried honesty. “I’ve gotten some stories and articles published here and there, but I’m working on a novel right now.”

“Oh!” Betsy nodded. “Where has your work appeared? Any literary publications?”

I sipped my wine, buying time. “Nothing you would have heard of, I’m sure.”

“Try me,” she insisted, “You’d be surprised what I’ve heard of.”

What could I say? I’ve had some devotionals pubbed in small devotional booklets? I could ask if she'd heard of Novel Journey...

Apparently, I waited too long to answer, and thankfully, the conversation shifted.

“Betsy wrote a novel,” John announced.

She shrugged. “Oh yes, that. It’s in a drawer. My agent loved it, but someone else came out with something similar. I lost interest in the whole thing…”

It was no small relief when the host announced the concert’s beginning. We moved into a great hall filled with rows of folding chairs, and at the front, a grand piano. The music was delightful. I let myself get lost in it and forgot the tuxedoed men, and high-class women. I thought of Chopin, how he composed such music, and the years the elderly man on the piano bench spent practicing to be able to play an hour’s worth of intricate pieces so well and with no music before him.

Later, at home, shame came over me. What on earth had happened to me in the midst of those people that I would suddenly become so ashamed of who I was and what I did? I thought of the wonder of the life God has given me—a hard-working husband, three beautiful daughters, and a passion for writing. I thought of the people who’d told me my writing blessed or encouraged them in some way. How dare I underestimate the worth of that!

As many parts of one body, the Bible says we all have jobs—some big and glamorous, others small but just as needed. The important thing is that we are all working for Jesus, “the head” of the body, and that He is using us for His grand purposes.

Betsy and John seemed accomplished, people with glittering lives. But were they happy? Did they know Jesus? If not, then indeed I am richer than them. I regret that I did not speak with excitement about my devotional writing or my association with Christian writers groups. Perhaps they would have seen something of Jesus in me.

1 Corinthians 12:18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

Lord, Forgive me for caring too much what man thinks of me, and not caring enough what You think of me. Forgive me for being the least bit ashamed of the wonderful life and gift You’ve given me. Help me to write for You. I am content to follow where you lead—whether it be to well-known literary magazines and best-selling novels or only to minister to a few. Thank You for making me who I am. Amen

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"The Book"

Most writers I talk to have one—that book that changed the way they write forever. For some it is a classic. For others, it is a book about writing. For some it might be how a favorite author handled their stories book after book.

Mine is Jane Eyre. I read the novel when I was nineteen, and it was the first time I didn’t feel 'safe' in a story. I won't give any spoilers here, but the more I read, the more fearful I became that book might not end the way I wanted it to, the way I desperately needed it to.

While tearing through the pages, I also realized that the unsafe feeling kept me addicted to the story and that no matter how the book ended, I had just found my favorite novel.

Gone with the Wind also changed my writing. Scarlet is a heroine to be reckoned with. A completely self-centred, selfish person who deserved everything that happened to her during the course of the novel. And yet at the ending, I'm practically crying for her.

Okay, so what book changed your writing?

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Author Images

This week, I thought we’d talk a bit about author images. As anyone outside of Podunkville, USA (where I live : - )knows, television and internet are a part of our daily existence. And that means we’ve become a culture of images. Our brains tell us what to feel when we see certain colors and shapes.

A wise author recognizes this and applies the knowledge to his/her author image. Your press photo should cause the viewer to think of your books/genre. For instance, if I’m a suspense novelist, I want an image that makes me look like I know something you don’t know, that perhaps there’s danger lurking in the corner, that someone might be in peril. How would I accomplish that feeling? I invite you to check out the following:



www.brandilyncollins.com. Brandilyn’s picture is perfect for her genre of Seatbelt Suspense™ – the backlighting gives us a mysterious feel, the look on Brandilyn’s face says she knows something you don’t know – and it ain’t good. The murky green makes us wonder what’s below the surface. All in all, a great image.



More than making you look good, your author photo needs to convey how good your stories are. Keep that in mind when you prepare for your next photo shoot!

For another great rant about author photos, check out www.justinelarbalestier.com/Musings/Musings2004/authorphotos.htm.

Another great commentary on the topic, from Midwest Book Review, can be found here www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/photo.htm.

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Novel Journey Critiques ~ Week 8

Remember, our suggestions are just that—suggestions. The wise author will use discernment and pick up what works for him/her and ignore what doesn't.

We've each been edited/critiqued by professional editors, best-selling authors, etc. and no one has been tougher on us than us. Our hope is you and this author, who bravely subbed his/her work, will benefit.

Our critique code is as follows:
( ) = suggest deleting
[ ] = sugges adding
** = comments
gws=goes without saying
rue=resist the urge to explain
im= interior monologue

Original Chapter

PROLOGUE

If I had known that children break on the inside and the cracks don't surface until years later, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known that some parents don't live to be grandparents and watch grandchildren grow, I would have taken more pictures, listened more and been more careful with my words.

If I had known that couples can be fragile and seek strength from one another and want from one another that which they are unprepared to give or unwilling to take, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known that teaching lasts a lifetime, that students have tragic lives, yet speak as if all is well, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known that my muscles and organs and bones and skin are not lifetime guarantees that when broken, snagged, unstitched or unseemly, can be returned for replacement, I would have been more careful, more respectful and kinder to the shell that prevents my soul from leaking out.

If I had known that I would live over half my life and have to look at photographs to remember my birthday party when I was four, adjusting my party hat so that my father could take the picture that sliced the moment out of time; if I had known, if I had known, I would have been more careful with my life.
Leah B.
Discharge Statement
4 August

Chapter One

I was cruising the well-stocked aisles of Catalano's Supermarket when I lost my sanity buying frozen apple juice.

Like a one-armed, mechanical robot, I picked up and returned can after can of juice to the freezer case. "Okay, this one's four cents an ounce cheaper than this one. but this one's. . ."

My rising agitation would have been reflected in face had it not been almost paralyzed by the cold air swirling around it. Suddenly, though later even my therapist found this a difficult buy-in, I had one of those near-death, out-of-body experiences of watching myself staring at cans of apple juice. And the rational me, separated from the wing-nut me, still pondering the perplexities of juice, said. "Let's get her out of here before she topples head first into the freezer case and completely humiliates herself."

I walked away, abandoning my cart which was parked near the case, a lone testament to my struggle.

That was my epiphany for sobriety. Apple juice. Go figure.

###

When I announced I was entering a rehabilitation treatment program, Carl looked as if someone might be approaching him with a rope and a fast horse. He had the same narrow-eyed, forehead-furrowed expression that looked remarkably like the one greeting me in the mirror every morning.

Only his face hadn't screamed, "hangover."

The week before I was to appear for my one month tour of The Brookforest Center, the land of locked doors without alcohol, my husband Carl and I went out for dinner. Finding a restaurant that didn't serve alcohol or require standing at a cash-registered counter lined with paper-hatted teenagers was quite the challenge. Fortunately, Carl Andrew Bauer, Management Consultant, was quite adept at problem-solving. We met at International House of Pancakes.

So, during one of my last public meals before lockdown, I found myself impatiently awaiting my blueberry cheese blintzes, wondering if the blintz machine had broken. The waitress, Elouise, had finally arrived with the carafe of coffee half a lifetime after I ordered it. I thanked her, but she continued to stand her post. I realized that she was more interested in our conversation than in finding the culprit responsible for delaying our order.

I leaned toward her as if on the brink of revealing tabloid information. "Elouise," I whispered, "what's the likelihood of finding cups for the coffee?"

Her crimson lips puckered as if they'd just been pried off a lemon. She puffed her chubby chapped cheeks and toddled off to what I hoped was the holy grail of lost coffee cups.

Carl carefully placed his knife, fork and spoon atop his white faux-cloth napkin. Past experience reminded me he would leave them there until his food arrived. The utensils would never touch the table. They would move from their napkin cocoon into his butterfly mouth, no germ-laden opportunities in between. It was a ritual I'd come to expect at every meal away from home. So, while he orchestrated his dining concerto, I attempted to explain my addiction to the man who, oddly enough, used to tell me I was never satisfied.

"Carl, pretend someone asks if you want to spend gobs of money on something that will disappear in minutes, or be smashed repeatedly on the head with a wooden baseball bat, or vomit profusely with great predictability, or find yourself in bizarre places under weird circumstances you won't remember…"

Elouise was now hovering dangerously close, her brown tray gently seesawing near my head. My head, not Carl's. She nodded as she transferred her cargo of blintzes and whole wheat pancakes and, finally, coffee cups to our table. I wondered how long she'd been listening or if I'd soon be sharing tales with her in group therapy.

"So, anything else ya'll need?" With one hand, Elouise wedged her tray on her left hip and plunged her other hand into her rubber-banded tassel of platinum hair braids. She produced a golden #2 pencil with a flair David Copperfield would have applauded.

Sure, I thought, place my order for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But, since Elna Mae was clearly not in the business of feeding souls, I said, "No, thanks."

Car's attention shifted to his plate. He meticulously lifted each round, identically sized golden pancake with his fork and swirls his buttered knife around in figure eight patterns, so precisely the Olympic committee would have awarded him a score of 9.5—at least if the judge from China cooperated.

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Jessica's Critique

The voice is very distinctive and I liked the sardonic quality of it. I read the sub once, I read it twice, trying to adapt to the voice so as to find my footing to offer opinions.

I have a feeling I'm going to be in the minority here, but I think the opening would become even more powerful if the writer pulled back on some of these thoughts and left two (perhaps three) of the most powerful statements. They're rich thoughts. Like chocolate, they're not meant to be ingested one after the other—lest they lose their meaning before they're even fully appreciated and tasted. It's a suggestion only.

As an over all suggestion, I recommend the writer work at cutting unnecessary words. There are some powerful thoughts with excess words mucking it up. As much as possible, you want your reader to be able to fly through your work. The cleaner and clearer the thought, the better able they will be able to do it. Suggested reading: On Writing Well, William Zinsser. Chapter 2 and 3 (Simplicity and Clutter.)

I made some suggestions about where I would cut words, but they are suggestions only. This is where 'voice' comes into play.

Good job! Thanks so much for submitting this to N.J.

PROLOGUE

If I had known that children break on the inside and the cracks don't surface until years later, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known that some parents don't live to be grandparents (and watch grandchildren grow), I would have taken more pictures, listened more and been more careful with my words.

If I had known that couples can be fragile and seek strength from one another and want from one another that which they are unprepared to give or unwilling to take, I would have been more careful with my words.{{This thought needs to be simplified }}

If I had known that teaching lasts a lifetime, that students have tragic lives, yet speak as if all is well, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known that my muscles and organs and bones and skin are not lifetime guarantees that when broken, snagged, unstitched or unseemly, can [not?] be returned for replacement, I would have been more careful, more respectful and kinder to the shell that prevents my soul from leaking out.

If I had known that I would live over half my life and have to look at photographs to remember my birthday party when I was four, adjusting my party hat so that my father could take the picture that sliced the moment out of time; if I had known, if I had known, I would have been more careful with my life.

Leah B.
Discharge Statement
4 August



Chapter One

I was cruising the well-stocked aisles of Catalano's Supermarket[, buying frozen apple juice,] when I lost my sanity buying frozen apple juice. {{nice opening line, especially after that beginning.}}

Like a one-armed, mechanical robot, I picked up and returned can after can of juice to the freezer case. "Okay, this one's four cents an ounce cheaper than this one(.)[,] but this one's. . ." {{I suggested a comma since you hadn't capitalized 'but'.}}

My rising agitation would have been reflected in face had it not been almost paralyzed by the cold air swirling around it. Suddenly, though later even my therapist found this a difficult buy-in, I had one of those near-death, out-of-body experiences of watching myself staring at cans of apple juice. And the rational me(,? )separated from the wing-nut me, still pondering the perplexities of juice, said. "Let's get her out of here before she topples head first into the freezer case and completely humiliates herself."

I walked away, abandoning my cart[,] which was parked near the case, a lone testament to my struggle.

That was my epiphany for sobriety. Apple juice. Go figure.

###

When I announced I was entering [rehab]a rehabilitation treatment program, Carl looked as if someone might be approaching him with a rope and a fast horse. He had the same narrow-eyed, forehead-furrowed expression that looked remarkably like the one greeting me in the mirror every morning.

Only his face hadn't screamed, "hangover."

The week before I was to appear for my one[dash?]month tour of The Brookforest Center, {{em-dash might make this easier to read than a comma here}} the land of locked doors without alcohol, my husband Carl and I went out for dinner. Finding a restaurant that didn't serve alcohol or require standing at a cash-registered counter lined with paper-hatted teenagers was quite the challenge. Fortunately, Carl Andrew Bauer, Management Consultant, was quite adept at problem-solving. We met at International House of Pancakes.

So, during one of my last public meals before lockdown, I found myself impatiently awaiting my blueberry cheese blintzes, wondering if the blintz machine had broken. The waitress, Elouise, had finally arrived with the carafe of coffee half a lifetime after I ordered it. I thanked her, but she continued to stand her post. I realized that she was more interested in our conversation than in finding the culprit responsible for delaying our order.

I leaned toward her as if on the brink of revealing tabloid information. "Elouise," I whispered, "what's the likelihood of finding cups for the coffee?"

Her crimson lips puckered as if they'd just been pried off a lemon. She puffed her chubby chapped cheeks and toddled off to what I hoped was the holy grail of lost coffee cups.

Carl carefully placed his knife, fork and spoon atop his white faux-cloth napkin. (Past) [E](e)xperience reminded me he would leave them there until his food arrived. (The u)[U]tensils would never touch the table. They would move from their napkin cocoon into his butterfly mouth, no germ-laden opportunities in between. It was a ritual I'd come to expect at every meal away from home. So, while he orchestrated his dining concerto, I attempted to explain my addiction to the man who, oddly enough, used to tell me I was never satisfied.

"Carl, pretend someone asks if you want to spend gobs of money on something that will disappear in minutes, or be smashed repeatedly on the head with a wooden baseball bat, or vomit profusely with great predictability, or find yourself in bizarre places under weird circumstances you won't remember…"

Elouise was now hovering [hovered] dangerously close, her brown tray gently seesawing near my head. My head, not Carl's. {{Did your character think this? It sounds like your character is still writing to us readers. Why not set it off in its own paragraph:

My head, not Carl's, mind you.}}

She nodded as she transferred her cargo of blintzes and whole[dash?]wheat pancakes and, finally, coffee cups to our table. I wondered how long she'd been listening or if I'd soon be sharing tales with her in group therapy.

"So, anything else ya'll need?" With one hand, Elouise wedged her tray on her left hip and plunged her other hand into her rubber-banded tassel of platinum hair braids. She produced a golden #2 pencil with a flair David Copperfield would have applauded.

Sure, I thought, place my order for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and {[extra space here}} self-control. But, since Elna Mae was clearly not in the business of feeding souls, I said, "No, thanks."

Car's attention shifted to his plate. He meticulously lifted each round, identically sized golden pancake with his fork and swirls his buttered knife around in figure eight patterns, so precisely the Olympic committee would have awarded him a score of 9.5—at least if the judge from China cooperated. {{I like her sassy attitude}}

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Ane's Take

The prologue really caught my interest. I though it was well written, although it could stand some tightening and shortening. There are some very powerful thoughts in it.

But as we entered chapter 1, the writing fell short in my opinion. Besides the obvious grammatical errors and verb tense problems, it was very passive. I felt some confusion, but the author may have done that on purpose, since the protagonist is apparently in the throes of a breakdown. If so, it worked.

The action which with chapter one opened was lost in scene two with too much back story. I lost interest. However, it picked up again toward the end. I like this author's voice and style. I think with some tough editing, this has great potential.

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Gina's Take

Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this. The writer's voice is distinct. The subject feels authentic, yet not overly gritty in portrayal. I would buy this book on what I've read here. If I were an editor, I would ask for a full manuscript, and anxiously await reading the rest.

I would tighten up the prologue. I think keeping a few of the statements would be stronger. Even cutting it down to one or two sentences. This seems to me one of those times that less would be more. Though I really like the idea of the prologue and what you were doing with it.

I love your opening sentence in chapter one. I love that frozen apple juice was her "rock bottom". It was not cliche. I love that your protag is human and has this enormous failing. Not that she's failing, that's not what I love, but that you're exploring a real person with a real issue that thousands, if not millions of people around the world struggle with. As writers, if we don't do this, who will?

I wasn't crazy about his "butterfly" mouth. I get the cocoon thing, but the butterfly reference gave me a weird visual that seemed not quite right. Kinda like Silence of the Lambs.

Also, I'd encourage you to weave in the senses. She's at IHOP, yet we smell no pancakes, no syrup, no coffee, hear no clanking silverware or background sounds of kids screaming, etc.

I think you're very talented and this premise and writing shows incredible promise. Great job.

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Author Interview ~ Dr. Gary Chapman

Dr. Gary Chapman is the well known author of a series of best sellers, which include The Five Love Languages, The Five Love Languages of Children, The Five Love Languages for Teenagers, and Your Gift of Love. He is the director of Marriage & Family Life Consultants, Inc. and has counseled married couples and families for more than thirty years. Dr. Chapman is a nationally known speaker on marriage and family relationships and host of the syndicated radio broadcast A Growing Marriage. A complete 2006-2007 seminar schedule is available at his website.

You've been a best-selling non-fiction author. What made you decide to do a fiction series?

I realized that a lot of people read fiction who do not often read self-help books. I thought that if we could capture some of the principles of good relationships in a fiction series we could help a lot of people.

How did your choose Catherine Palmer to co-author it with you?

Catherine Palmer is an excellent fiction writer. I read several of her previous books and just knew that we could connect. She feels deeply and writes with passion. I also knew that she had read and found helpful several of my relationship books. She was excited about the project and I knew that we could work together.

The first book in this series is filled with hope and redemption. Are the characters an amalgamation of people you've counseled over the years?

Yes, every situation in the book reflects real-life situations that I have dealt with in the counseling office through the years.

I really enjoyed the blend of gentle humor and deep emotion. Who came up with the story line?

I must give Catherine the credit for the story line. She came up with the characters and the setting, and I really identified with her thinking.

Did you as a non-fiction author learn any new writing techniques from working on a novel?

I really enjoyed interacting with Catherine as the story unfolded. I relied on her to develop the story while I advised her regarding relationship issues. She is the fiction writer so I relied on her expertise. It was a new experience for me, but I really enjoyed the process.

How well did your own style translate to fiction?

In all of my writing through the years, I have made much of personal conversations with people. Some of these came from the counseling office and others from the natural flow of life. I have found that people identify with stories. Therefore, that part of my writing blended well into fiction.

Did you and Catherine divide the writing? If so, will you divulge how?

I’ve written three books with co-authors. I learned after the first one “how not to co-author.” In the first one, we both wrote the book and let an editor put it together. Neither of us was happy with the results. Therefore, I decided not to do that again. So, in this book Catherine is the primary writer. I read it and made suggestions. I think working in this way we got the best of our thinking in a book that flows well.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?

Write from your heart. Write out of the overflow of your life. Use your own experiences to help others. Whatever you have learned will likely help others. All of my writing grows out of my thirty plus years of counseling in the area of marriage and family.

You're a husband, an author, a counselor and host a radio show. What does a typical day look like for you?

It depends on which day. Monday and Tuesday is filled with counseling appointments and/or radio interviews. Wednesday and Thursday is devoted to writing. (I’m cloistered in my writing space.) Friday I do office work in the morning and fly out to my next marriage seminar. (I lead 30 seminars each year.) Sundays I’m active in my church. All evenings are devoted to being with my wife: talking, watching television, going out to eat, or doing things with friends. Life is full and fruitful.

Thank you for sharing with our readers, many of whom are writers. Do you have any parting words of advice for them?

Keep writing. As long as you have something to say, keep saying it. However, don’t forget to enrich your own soul by reading what others write and spending time with people. Invest your life in helping people and life will be satisfying.

To read a review of It Happens Every Spring, click here

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Author Interview ~ Nicole Seitz, Part II

Nicole Seitz is a South Carolina Lowcountry native and freelance writer/illustrator published in South Carolina Magazine, Charleston Magazine, House Calls, The Island Packet, and The Bluffton Packet. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism, she also has a bachelor’s degree in illustration from Savannah College of Arts & Design. Seitz is an exhibiting artist in the Charleston, South Carolina, area where she owns a web design firm and lives with her husband and two small children


To see a review of The Spirit of Sweetgrass, click here







If you could choose to have one strength of another writer, what would it be and from whom?

I would choose to never worry about what might sell, what is marketable. I would love to be able to simply write what is on my heart and never worry about the reviews, never care what people think. I would love for my inspiration to be unhampered like that, but realistically, I don’t know if it’s possible.





The closest example I can think of is author Pat Conroy. When he wrote The Boo, The Great Santini, and The Lords of Discipline, he risked great upheaval with his father and his school, The Citadel. Yet in the end, he stuck to his guns, his relationship with his father improved, and today The Citadel celebrates him as a cherished and honored alum.

Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you would love to accomplish?

My dream? I want to be able to write for the rest of my life, book after book after book. And I hope to get better each time. And of course, I’d like to make bestseller status so I could reach as many people as possible. I love the idea of touching people though my words. It’s an amazing feeling and responsibility, and I take it very seriously.

Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?

Yes, before it even began! I wrote a children’s picture book once and sent it off to publishers. I got form letter rejections from all. The impersonal nature of it was daunting and exhausting. But it didn’t stop me, thank goodness. And in my heart, I still have a desire to write children’s books. One of these days it will happen…

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

My favorite part of writing fiction is taking the journey into my own imaginative worlds. I also cherish the ability to examine my own personal issues through writing; I find it very cathartic. My least favorite part is the waiting on publication.

How much marketing do you do? Any advice in this area?

The first thing I did was read Publicize Your Book by Jacqueline Deval. I wanted to educate myself on the process. I have a website, a blog, and I’ve begun speaking to groups. I’m trying to learn how to market and talk about my own book and writing. I don’t think it comes naturally for many writers who feel more comfortable sitting behind a computer screen than in front of many people. But practice your talks, get used to the praise, get used to the questions. And accept as quickly as you can that not everyone needs to like or “get” your book.

Parting words?

The publishing business is very subjective. Believe in yourself. Most of all, believe in what you write. At the end of the day, if you don’t have that, you will waver with every review, every criticism, and you will burn out faster than you can imagine.

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Author Interview ~ Nicole Seitz, Part I

Nicole Seitz is a South Carolina Lowcountry native and freelance writer/illustrator published in South Carolina Magazine, Charleston Magazine, House Calls, The Island Packet, and The Bluffton Packet. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism, she also has a bachelor’s degree in illustration from Savannah College of Arts & Design. Seitz is an exhibiting artist in the Charleston, South Carolina, area where she owns a web design firm and lives with her husband and two small children

What book or project is coming out or has come out that you’d like to tell us about?

The Spirit of Sweetgrass

Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head.

I have a background in journalism and non-fiction writing, but had never attempted fiction until I was expecting my daughter in 2003 when I penned a middle grade novel which is still unpublished. My next work of fiction was The Spirit of Sweetgrass which I began in October 2004 and completed just 5 months later. I contracted with an agent then in March 2005 and the book sold to Integrity Publishers in February 2006, just 11 months later.

My “call” was actually an email from my agent. He was heading into a meeting but wanted me to know he’d received an offer for two books. Not one but TWO! I remember my two young children were with me, but they weren’t nearly as excited as I was. I tried to call my husband, my mother, my sister, and finally, my neighbor across the street, but no one was home. It was a strange moment because I wanted desperately to share it with someone in order to make it seem real!

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

Absolutely. And I hope I never get to the point where I don’t doubt my work. If I do, it will mean I think I know it all (and I’ll be unbearable to be around) or perhaps I’m not taking enough risks in my writing. I want to always push the envelope.

What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?

I’m sure I’ve made some mistakes, but time will tell. They are yet to be seen.

What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?

From Pat Conroy, “If you gotta do it, you gotta do it.” I think he means it’s a tough business, but if you’ve been graced with the passion to write, you need to be faithful to that passion and see it through.

What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve heard?

“Read everything you can about writing craft.” Focusing too much on craft could take the surprise and magic out of writing and potentially lead to bland, formulaic works.

What’s something you wish you’d known earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?

I wish I’d known exactly how long it takes to push through the publishing process. I tend to get anxious, wondering what’s happening on my publisher’s end, my agent’s end. If I knew more about the process, I think this first year may not have been so nerve-wracking. The only way to alleviate this anxiety is experience, I’m afraid!

Is there a particularly difficult set back that you’ve gone through in your writing career you are willing to share?

No major setbacks except that my agent stopped being an agent right before my book sold, and my publisher was sold a few months ago to another publisher. I had no idea these things were coming and didn’t know what might happen to a new, unknown author in the shuffle. Thankfully, my book is still on a great track, but for a while there, I was a little nervous. What I’ve learned, though, is that anything can and will happen. To use a couple of old clichés, expect the unexpected and learn to roll with the punches!

What are a few of your favorite books? (Not written by you.)

A few favorites are The Kitchen God’s Wife and The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan, Keeper of the House by Rebecca T. Godwin, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, and Roseflower Creek by J.L. Miles.

What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of and why?

I am very pleased with my debut, The Spirit of Sweetgrass, because I was faithful to the voice and story that wanted to come out through me. I truly care about my characters, especially Essie Mae Jenkins, and I think that care shows in my work. I have also completed my second novel which has a very different tone to it, yet still takes the reader into the magical world of the Gullah/Geechee culture. I am excited about that book as well and look forward to the editing process to make it the best it can be!

Do you have a pet peeve having to do with this biz?

I think I’m too new at this business to have a pet peeve. I’m just grateful to be here!

Can you give us a view into a typical day of your writing life?

I have no discipline at writing whatsoever, meaning no set times, no set number of words per day. I have two small children, and I run a web design business from home, so I truly have to write whenever the ideas strike me. Often, it’s in the shower, driving down the road, or lying in bed. I write in my head all the time and at my keyboard simply whenever I can.

If you could choose to have one strength of another writer, what would it be and from whom?

To be continued tomorrow ...

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Sunday Devotion ~ Bloom and Let Bloom

(Janet has the week off.)

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
—Romans 8:25

By Gina Holmes

Outlining my 1920's Craftman's cottage are the most beautiful array of mature Azaleas. Every spring, my home goes from being unnoticed next to its neighbors--charming Tudors and stately Four-squares--to earning gasps from passerbys as red and hot-pink flowers explode onto a backdrop of evergreen out front.

After their floral jewelry is shed, it's time to prune. If I were to trim the bushes before then, I'd lose half the buds, and half the splendor.

Last year, I waited as I always do for beauty to die, before I and my shears got to work. With the sun cascading over my yard, and the smell of fresh earth and mulch surrounding me, I cut every branch which dared stretch away from the rest. As I did this, I couldn't help but feel the weight of sadness that I would have to wait another full year to enjoy my favorite symbol of regeneration.

I pushed the fleeting melancholy away and focused instead on the task at hand--shaping the bushes so that they could be at least presentable until their next spring showing.

As I chopped away, huge piles of branches towered behind me, and the sun, which once felt comforting, now beat down with oppression. Perspiration dampened my back and forehead and I picked up my pace. I no longer took the time to stop and consider each branch before the cut because I was in a hurry to be done with the drudgery. In my frenzy, I dropped my shears, forcing myself to pause to retrieve them. As I bent, I noticed a large branch filled with multitudes of tiny, red, buds and my heart sank.

I could have enjoyed another display of flowers had I looked a little closer before chopping. On my haunches, I raked through the pile and found many branches which hadn't yet been given the opportunity to present their gifts. God wanted to give one more smile--one more blessing, and I, in my hurry to move on, cut off branches which would have born "fruit" if only I'd been patient.

Sometimes we pass judgment on people who seem to be spiritually dead. We cut them off from our prayers, our teaching, our invitations, because they aren't blooming fast enough. Sometimes we give up on a story, a writer, a genre, which doesn't bear fruit as quickly as we think it ought to.

If only we'd been more patient, more discerning ... who knows what would have bloomed?

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To Subscribe or Not to Subscribe

For Saturday's topic, I'm asking Novel Journey readers what news, online magazines, and newsletters they subscribe to. There are so many to choose from.

Here is what's on my list:

PW Daily: A daily update of happenings in the publishing world sent by Publisher's Weekly.

Religion BookLine: A weekly update for religious books (including CBA fiction) also sent by Publisher's weekly.

The Book Standard newsletter: A weekly update in book retail and more.

I subscribe to a number of author newsletters, including Randy Ingermanson's Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, which is filled with goodies for both marketing and writing.

Infuze Magazine: a Christian worldview on books, movies and music.

TitleTrakk: a mix of books and music reviews and interviews.

I also subscribe to Google Alerts, which keep me informed of a topic I am interested in (it also kept me alerted when my authors of their book was mentioned on the web.)

As a publicist, I subscribed to yet more, but these are the ones I continue to keep up with.

What about you guys? How do you keep informed and what do you recommend?

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TRUTH AND FICTION, by Gene Edward Veith

"Used by permission © WORLD magazine, all rights reserved Subscriptions: 800-951-NEWS or www.worldmag.com."

Christian fiction has become a genre unto itself, filled with clichés, conventions, and pop-culture imitations. And yet, Christian authors were once the giants of literature, writing about all of life from a Christian worldview and using their art to influence the imagination of the whole civilization.

What writers, publishers, and readers need today is not just Christian fiction but fiction informed by a Christian worldview, with the potential to break through once again into the wider culture. Toward that end, WORLD is working with WestBow Press, Thomas Nelson’s new fiction division, to sponsor a fiction-writing contest to discover a new wave of Christian writers.

Some 45 percent of all trade books sold today in the United States are fiction. Although Christian writers were the great pioneers of literature, for awhile evangelicals, both authors and readers, lost interest in fiction. But this has been changing. Fiction is the second-biggest-selling category for Christian publishers, just after “Christian living,” making up 15 percent to 20 percent of all their sales.

Lately, Christian authors and publishers have been imitating the pop culture, with its formulas and conventions, rather than creating genuine literary art. But Christian writers and Christian readers are growing in their tastes and in what they are capable of writing and reading. Though for awhile Christian novels were only read by Christian readers, the barriers that ghettoized explicitly evangelical books have been coming down. Christians have a powerful literary tradition, extending well into the modern era, ready to be reclaimed and carried on.

Divine narrative

The Christian literary heritage begins with the Bible. God reveals Himself not primarily through visions or mystical experiences but through a book. Thus, Christians have always prized reading.

God’s revelation in the Bible—the very word means “the book”— comprises many literary forms: poetry, laws, letters, and while it does contain passages of theological discourse (for example, the epistles of Paul), much of God’s Word consists of narratives. That is to say, stories.
A narrative is a rendition by language of an unfolding action. Whereas expository writing sets forth ideas, narrative re-creates an event. A story gives us characters, dialogue, and description, all of which enables a reader or listener to enter into the experience vicariously by imagining what took place.

The Bible’s narratives are true and historical. (Prose narratives in the historical style that are fictional would not be invented until the 18th century.) But God’s Word gives us true stories of human beings, in particular places and times, doing things, enduring conflicts, and interacting with each other and with God: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the saga of the patriarchs, Moses and the children of Israel, the historical narratives of the judges and the kings, the exile and the return, the four Gospels recounting the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the story of the church in Acts, the mysterious last days in the book of Revelation. Christians have always known that such stories bear rich meanings and that reading them is a profound blessing.

Narratives, whether true or fictional, depict characters, portrayals of human beings. These characters act, creating the story’s plot. Nearly always, the plot entails some kind of conflict, whether an external battle against some enemy, an inner struggle within the heart of a character, the clash of different beliefs, or a combination of all three. There is also a setting, the sense of place and time where the action takes place, and a theme, the truths or insights that the story conveys.

The plot of a story is not just a sequence of random events. Rather, a plot tends to have a definite structure: a beginning, middle, and end.

The Bible, as the Book of books, has a plot of its own, contributing a particular shape to Western narratives. It sets forth a clear beginning: the creation of the universe. There is conflict: human sin vs. the grace of God. The narrative has a middle, a climactic turning point, in which the conflict is resolved: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And the book moves to a definite conclusion, a dénouement tying up all the loose ends into a happy ending: the coming of Christ, the last judgment, and His eternal reign. Not only the biblical narrative but all of human history is taken up into this story, as is the life of the individual believer.

Biblical narrative is very different from the narratives of pagan mythology. Those are organized into cycles. Time repeats itself, with multiple creations and endlessly recurrent patterns. Thus, Greek epics begin in the middle of an already occurring action. Greek plays are organized into cycles of generations caught in the webs of a constantly repeating fate. The Bible’s stories, though, show time as a straight line, with not only a beginning and middle and end but a direction. Thus, Western narratives after the Bible tend to follow a chronological order in which characters can change and grow. Also, myths take place in an idealized realm removed from ordinary human experience. Biblical narrative, though, takes place in specific places and times, emphasizing historicity and stylistic realism.

While biblical narratives are true stories, there is also a sense in which the Bible enabled the invention of fiction. The early church proclaimed that the pagan myths were untrue. They were just stories. They could be appreciated as stories, said the early church, as long as they were not believed to be true. Christians were encouraged to look at myths as stories that may be pleasing and even instructive and worth studying, as long as they understood that the events they recorded never happened. Thus, the early Christians, as far as Western literature is concerned, invented fiction.

Life as it should be

The highest biblical authority for fiction, of course, is the example of Jesus Christ, who taught the kingdom of God by means of parables. Indeed, says Matthew, “He said nothing to them without a parable” (Matthew 13:34). The term comes from the Greek word for “comparison” and was a common ancient genre that explained a truth by comparing it to a hypothetical tale. Jesus used parables to communicate vast spiritual truths to the fallen human mind. His parables, though, did not make the truths He was revealing simpler or easier to understand. Rather, He used parables not only to make things clearer but apparently sometimes to make them more difficult (Matthew 13:10-17), since one symptom of the fallen human mind is to seize upon some superficial knowledge while remaining blind to the full truth and failing to “understand with the heart” (Matthew 13:15).

Some Christians, historically, have objected to fiction on the grounds that it consists of “lies.” But Sir Philip Sidney, with his Puritan sympathies, decisively answered that objection in 1595 in “A Defense of Poesy.” A lie, he said, is something affirmed to be true when it is not true. A piece of fiction, though, “affirmeth not.” It is not presented as something true, but, by its very name, something made-up, an imaginative construction. History, philosophy, even theology, said Sidney, are full of lies: statements put forward as true when they are really false. Fiction, on the other hand, because it never affirms, never lies.

And yet, Sidney says that fiction is connected to a larger truth. Fiction, he said, presents life not as it is, but as it could be and should be. Sidney believed that literature had an important function in the teaching of morality. Fiction can instruct us in the human condition and provide models for us to emulate or avoid, training us to take delight in what is good and to be repulsed by what is evil.

William Kirk Kilpatrick, in Psychological Seduction and Why Johnny Can’t Tell Right from Wrong, has shown how the moral formation of children is shaped by stories. Children learn to root for the “good guys”—and to identify with them—and to fear and be repulsed by the “bad guys.” It is not enough to tell children abstractly what is right and what is wrong. For them to internalize morality, it must be brought to life.

Fiction does not need to be moralistic to be a good influence. The very act of entering into a character’s point of view is training in empathy, the ability to “rejoice with those who rejoice” and to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). Fiction also gives us vicarious experience, the ability to imaginatively experience something without having to experience it in real life. It becomes possible to undergo life-shaping experiences—the danger of war, the trials of love, the stimulation of travel, the overcoming of suffering—from the comfort and safety of one’s easy chair. Though vicarious experience is secondhand and nowhere nearly as powerful as actually experiencing such things in real life, the benefits of reading fiction in broadening a person’s horizons should not be underestimated. Reading fiction can also be a way of reflecting upon the human condition—its tragedies and comedies, its complexity and glories—and it can serve as a mirror to help readers know themselves.

Of course, that fiction can have such a powerful positive influence means that it can also have a negative influence. Vicarious experience can be sinful, with some fiction encouraging evil fantasies and emulation of models that are destructive. Readers need discernment and taste, and they need high-quality books to read.

Romance novels

The earliest fiction in Christian Europe was the genre known as the romance. This refers not primarily to love stories but to medieval tales of knights, chivalry, and adventure. Love was usually an issue in the medieval romances, which led to the later meaning of the term, but their main characteristic was an emphasis on plot, external action, and fantasy (as opposed to hard-edged realism).

The romance tradition includes Christianized versions of pagan legends (such as Beowulf). It also includes imaginative sagas of Christian kings and heroes (King Arthur). The impulse toward fantasy also manifested itself in symbolic stories (the quest for the Holy Grail) and theological allegories (The Divine Comedy).

Realistic fiction, though—as in novels that emphasize characters and their inner lives in an actual-seeming setting—developed much later. At first, these took the form of mock-romances, which made fun of medieval ideals by contrasting them with actual life (Cervantes’s Don Quixote [1605]). Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress (1678) took the medieval genre of the Christian allegory and rendered it with an innovative realism. Then there were the pseudo-histories, renditions of romantic plot devices (such as being stranded on a desert island) in a historical style (Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe [1719]).

The first modern novel is probably Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, published in 1740. This work consisted of a series of letters from a young serving girl trying to make her way in the big city. Before long, her employer tries to seduce her, leading to elaborate abductions and escapes as Pamela defends her chastity against a dastardly villain, who eventually becomes converted. The letter device allows Richardson to develop what would become hallmarks of modern narrative: Instead of the author narrating the tale, the main character, Pamela, tells what happened to her in her own voice. And the rather slender and far-fetched plot becomes secondary to the character delving into her own inner life.

After Pamela, the novel as an artistic form exploded in popularity and variety. The early novelists, by and large, worked from a Christian worldview. Pamela knew that extramarital sex was wrong, and she resisted a predatory man to keep her virtue. Even stories that had little explicit religious content assumed a moral and spiritual order. Right and wrong were objective categories. Human beings were seen as sinful yet spiritual beings in a challenging yet ordered world. The early novels’ constant themes of love, marriage, family, responsibility, duty, and purpose were all informed by a biblical view of life.

Jane Austen, the pastor’s daughter, wrote unparalleled fiction about the comedies and dramas inherent in her small country parish. Charles Dickens invented unforgettable characters and sparked social reforms.

Other novelists took up explicit Christian themes and explored them in their depths. Nathaniel Hawthorne explored the dark recesses of our fallen human nature. Fyodor Dostoevsky plunged into the mysteries of sin and redemption. George MacDonald explored his faith both in realistic novels and in highly symbolic and evocative fantasies.

Even in the supposedly secularist 20th century, Christians continued to make their mark as fiction writers. A number of Catholic writers wrote powerful works that addressed the spiritual emptiness of modernity with a vision of Christianity that was seldom merely the theology of Rome: Graham Greene (The Power and the Glory); Walker Percy (The Thanatos Syndrome); Flannery O’Connor (The Violent Bear It Away). Then there were the enormously popular and influential Christian fantastists J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) and C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia).

These authors were all published by secular, general-market publishing houses. They gained wide audiences and critical acclaim. They also influenced their cultures and touched the lives of their readers, in some cases bringing them to faith.

Yet, ironically, evangelicals—readers, writers, and publishers—were largely ignoring fiction, until they invented a genre of their own.

Genre fiction

In the United States, many conservative Protestants separated themselves from the increasingly secularist modern culture. Part of this was due to Christians who wanted to be uncontaminated by the godless culture, and part of it was due to the godless culture’s hostility to Christian faith.

The Christian publishing industry grew up and its products were sold in Christian bookstores. Most of the books put out were devotional helps, Bible studies, and guides for Christian living. Except for a few historical novels and Bible retellings, there was very little fiction.

Then, in 1978, Frank Peretti’s spiritual thriller This Present Darkness was published, a dark tale about a titanic conflict between demons and angels that loomed behind a small town’s controversies. Jan Dennis, who was Mr. Peretti’s editor with Crossway, told WORLD that his manuscript had been turned down by 15 publishers before Crossway took a chance and put it into print, in a tiny print run of only 4,000 copies. But the Christian horror novel sold over 2.5 million copies.

Mr. Peretti’s novel and its sequels showed evangelical readers the power of fiction (though, arguably, many of them were so inexperienced with fiction that they took the “spiritual warfare” motif as fact, instead). Evangelical publishers now had a market for fiction, which they proceeded to serve with a great variety of products. Today, as much as one-fifth of the sales for Christian publishers comes from fiction: Christian romance novels, Christian horror, Christian science fiction, Christian fantasies, Christian conspiracy novels, Christian political novels, Christian techno-thrillers.

The limitation of this fiction is that it is mostly “genre fiction,” that is, fiction written according to a predictable formula based on prefabricated models. It is geared mainly to entertainment, rather than reflection. It follows conventions, rather than being original. It is written to sell, rather than to be a serious, complex work of Christian art.

Writing in a particular genre need not prevent the work from being valuable. Great literature too has its conventions. The “novel of manners” perfected by Jane Austen and followed by many more is about social interactions leading to marriage. Mysteries, with their detectives solving a crime, follow strict conventions, and yet the form has produced some outstanding writing, including that of Christians (Dorothy L. Sayers, P.D. James). But too often, in the hands of indifferent writers, genre fiction is little more than a collection of clichés.

The bigger problem is that for all of the different genres it follows, evangelical fiction has become a genre unto itself, with conventions of its own. One-dimensional virtuous characters contend against one-dimensional villains. The style is preachy. The theme is moralistic. The plot is characterized by implausible divine interventions. While the convention demands a conversion, the characters are never allowed to do anything very sinful, or, if they do, the author is not allowed to show it. At the end, all problems are solved and everyone lives happily ever after. It is all sweetness, light, uplift, and cliché.

The biblical complexities of sin and grace, the inner conflict between the old nature and the new, the necessity to bear one’s cross, are missing. So is biblical realism. So is the ability to draw in nonbelievers and confront them with the hard truths of God’s Word.

What happened is that while evangelicals at one time pulled away from engagement with the culture, they rejected the high culture of ideas, creativity, and the arts. But they embraced uncritically the pop culture, the realm of entertainment, pleasure-seeking, and shallow commercialism. While the modern and postmodern high culture may be hostile to the biblical worldview, Christianity can compete with the high culture on its own terms by claiming and building upon the absolutes of truth, goodness, and beauty that current worldviews have abandoned. But in embracing the pop culture, evangelicals have opened themselves up to what is shallow, fake, and empty in contemporary life. Instead of filling those voids, pop-Christianity falls into them.

But Christian fiction is changing, heralding perhaps a more fruitful engagement with the culture on the part of American evangelicals.

Mainstream breakthrough

The Left Behind books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins were, in many ways, conventional Christian fiction, following the genre of End Times novels. And yet, the 12 books in the series, swept along by millennium fever, dominated the bestseller lists for a decade. They sold so many copies that they broke out of the Christian bookstore market, into the Barnes & Nobles and Borders, into airport newsstands, onto The New York Times bestseller lists, which once excluded books from Christian publishers no matter how many they sold.

“Left Behind did break down the barriers,” said Mr. Dennis. “It became so huge that it was given an opportunity that most Christian fiction doesn’t get, to sell in the general market.” The secular bookstores started carrying other evangelical titles. In the meantime, Christian publishers started cashing in with other crossover titles (The Prayer of Jabez, The Purpose Driven Life). They now had access to the general marketplace, a vast new audience, which also gave them a new mission, to reach secular readers with the Christian message.

But this meant they had to compete with the established secular publishers. There was a time when books from Christian publishers just did not look as good as those from mainline presses. They looked cheaper, had poorer paper, bad cover art, and just did not seem as professionally designed. This has changed, though, as Christian publishers give more attention to the quality of their production. The writing also had to get better, and it has.

In the meantime, talented Christian writers were finding success with publishing companies that were secular but that allowed them to express their faith in terms of their art: Walt Wangerin (The Book of the Dun Cow); Frederic Buechner (Brendan); Larry Woiwode (Beyond the Bedroom Wall); Jan Karon (The Mitford series); Leif Enger (Peace Like a River); Bret Lott (Jewel). Not to mention Christian authors who became sure-fire bestsellers who wrote more popular fare that was not explicitly religious, but nevertheless allowed their worldview to shine through (John Grisham, The Firm; Tom Clancy, The Hunt for Red October). Christian publishers wanted to attract writers like that. Lately, some talented new authors have emerged from Christian circles, and now Christian publishers are more inclined to turn them loose.

(**This article was written in 2004. This contest has already taken place**)

WestBow’s experiment

Thomas Nelson is the biggest Christian publisher. Moreover, it is the ninth-biggest publisher of every kind in the world. Currently, over half of its sales are in the general marketplace. The company has just launched a new fiction division, WestBow Press.

Allen Arnold, the head of WestBow, told WORLD that “the days of traditional Christian fiction are over.” His plans are to publish authors who write from a distinctly Christian worldview but whose works go beyond the typical formulas and have the potential to reach beyond the typical Christian marketplace to have an impact on the culture as a whole. “We don’t publish Christian fiction,” he said. “We publish fiction from a Christian worldview.”

He wants to free Christian authors, who often feel constrained by secular publishers to tone down their faith and who feel constrained by Christian publishers who will not let them tell their stories.

“We’ll only partner with authors who write from a Christian worldview, but the stories will be true to what the stories are about,” Mr. Arnold said. “Sometimes faith will be explicit; sometimes more implicit.” Just as the biblical worldview encompasses all of life, the fiction he is looking for need not even be conventionally “religious,” as long as it embodies the reality that God has made.

This does not mean that WestBow will blindly emulate secular publishers. “Readers should know they need not fear being corrupted by a WestBow book,” he said. “We will never publish something that we feel we could not stand with before God.” But there will be no predetermined model or list of rules. There will be no attempt to imitate commercially successful patterns. We should not try to copy what the world is doing or what other publishers are doing, he told WORLD. “We should be tapping into the ultimate creator of all—God—the source of true creativity.”

WestBow inherited Thomas Nelson’s other fiction titles, so some conventionally Christian fiction remains on their list. Mr. Allen stressed that the company will still publish books specifically for the Christian market. But the new division has higher goals. He wants WestBow to become one of the top 20 publishers of general-market fiction.

The vision of publishing high-quality works of art by Christians for general audiences may seem ambitious. But Mr. Allen points out that this is the way it used to be. Christian formula fiction is relatively new, dating just to the 1970s. “Before that, Christian writers wrote for everyone.”
WestBow takes its name from the printing press and bookshop operated by the original Thomas Nelson back in Edinburgh in 1798, which was located on a street named West Bow. That shop sold Bibles, and it also sold Pilgrim’s Progress, Robinson Crusoe, and, later, books by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott, and other of the best authors of his day. Why shouldn’t we have Christian writers like that today? Why shouldn’t Christian literature have the cultural influence that it once did?

But God needs to call and equip writers equal to that task. And those writers need to be discovered, mentored, and brought to the public.

To that end, WestBow, in its search for new talent, is working with WORLD in the WORLDview fiction contest. (See the sidebar for details.) If you are a storyteller, enter the contest. If you are a reader, check out the entries that will be posted on WORLD’s blog site, giving your feedback and voting for your favorite. Either way, do your part in carrying on the Christian literary tradition. —•

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