Galactic Overlord's Writing Blog

Venom and Song - CSFF Blog Tour Day Three – Or – Oops, I goofed

2010-09-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

I’d like to wrap up this tour by clarifying a “tease” that I made in the Curse of the Spider King tour. To recap from my post from last time:

While I was reading this book, it occurred to me that Wayne may have given me a clue as to what the story would be like. Two years ago, Wayne posted this on his writer’s forum:

I've heard it said that there are a finite number of basic plots for a novel. Things like "the quest," "the coming of age," "the discovery," etc. ...that all stories at the simplest level fall into one of the set number of plot structures.

I've also seen books panned because "the plot is derivative." Eragon, which I happen to like btw, has dozens of one and two-star reviews on Amazon, the majority of which decry the story for being a rip off of LotR and Star Wars.

Thing is, Lucas "borrowed" much of his plot from Arthurian legend, and Tolkien, all-time-master-story-teller that he is, borrowed heavily from Norse traditions.

So my question is twofold:

1. Are there plotlines out there that have just been "done to death?"

2. What can an author do to revive or renew familiar plots so that they will feel original to the reader?

Personally, I thought the Eragon movie was very derivative of the first Star Wars movie, though I can't speak for the book.
I answered question one this way.

…there's the "YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE!" story, which we've seen a lot from Star Wars, The Matrix, Dune, the Terminator movies, and Lord of the Rings. Here, basically an unwitting chap is yanked from his regular, hum-drum life and is told he has a special destiny, in many ways it's a variant on Christ's story. This plot, to be honest, is one I think needs to be retired or at least semi-retired, because the moment the bearded (or in Morpheus' case, the shaded) one reveals the chosen one's destiny, the suspense is pretty much gone. You know he's going to receive his special powers or whatever and defeat the evil forces, because "he's the chosen one." (I know Lucas made Anakin the chosen one, but he turned out to be a bad guy, and I still don't understand what Lucas was trying to tell us with that) I just think things like that, and old prophesies fortelling the hero's fate, really sucks a lot of anticipation out of the story, unless it's done really really well.

You know, if you think about it, it really is a done-to-death cliche. How many movies and books have this plot device? (Though quite a few still do it well)
Anyway, the Waynester replied:

Awww, mannnn, Jason, just wait for my next fantasy series. I am SO going to turn this cliche on its head.

Hmmm….well that piqued my curiosity. Is Curse of the Spider King said turning said cliché on said head? Read tomorrow's post to find out!

Well…it turns out I was off the mark. Nope, it wasn’t Curse of the Spider King. As Wayne said in the comments section:

“…the book I was referring to is the first of my new series with AMG: The Dark Sea Annals.”

And speaking of said book, you can click this link right here to see it for yourselves, complete with its really cool looking book cover:

http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Stars-Book1-Dark-Annals/dp/0899578772/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285799298&sr=8-1

Oh yeah, I should talk about that Christopher Hopper dude. He contributed, too! Duh. Here’s a link that will take you to his two entries in his White Lion Chronicles series:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=christopher+hopper&x=0&y=0

Anyway, to close up shop for today, the book was awesome. It comes highly recommended from yours truly.

Venom and Song - CSFF Blog Tour Day Two – or – “Don’t You Forget About Me.”

2010-09-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with my discussion of Wayne and Christopher’s portrayal of the young teens, this scenario reminded me, of all things, the 1985 John Hughes flick The Breakfast Club. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, The Breakfast Club was about a group of high school students from radically different cliques, a princess, a nerd, a jock, a rebel, and a “basket-case,” all thrown together for one Saturday in detention. As one of the characters points out, they would be unlikely to ever mix in a normal, everyday high school setting.

In this book, the elven lord Tommy voices similar concerns. The seven of them spent much of Curse of the Spider King apart, in other countries actually. In Venom and Song, they not only have to get along, but form a family of sorts. The heart of this conflict comes during the training of their unique gifts, when the character of Grimwarden puts the group in situations when they must work together. Needless to say, it’s tough going at times. Sometimes their personalities rub each other the wrong way. However, they progress from being just merely successful at their tasks to realizing the enormity of the conflict around them, and they eventually start to unite around a common desire to protect their newfound homeland.

There’s also an added bit of tension that goes beyond the usual good versus evil plot. As I mentioned in my COTSK review, there is a hint that the elves had wronged the Gwar race at some point in the past. Well, the teens find out what that is, and it causes a brief rift between them and Grimwarden. Added to that, there is also some intrigue involving the elven leadership, who aren’t of one mind on how to deal with the Spider-King. At least one faction wants to break off the lords’ training and attack the Spider-King head-on. I liked these subplots because it forced the teens to think more about what they’re fighting for, instead of just taking orders like mindless robots. There’s also an interesting question about whether the descendants of those that committed horrible crimes should be held accountable for their ancestors’ actions. Grimwarden gives a good speech on this point. It’s an important question, because so many conflicts today are birthed out of grievances from the past, sometimes the distant past.

Also, the actions of the elves are another reminder of the vigilance people of good conscience must have toward their own society. No nation or people is perfect, and sometimes even leaders may do what they think is the right thing, but it results from faulty reasoning and it turns out to be very wrong in retrospect. Sometimes a failure to be vigilant can let wickedness spread, causing good societies to rot from within.

Next time, more observations on Venom and Song!

* Venom and Song - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400315069 (or an alternate link of your choice)
Authors’ blogs
Wayne Thomas Batson – http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/
Christopher Hopper – http://www.christopherhopper.com/blog/

Angela
Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Melissa Carswell
Jeff Chapman
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
April Erwin
Tori Greene
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Tammy Shelnut
James Somers
Kathleen Smith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Jason Waguespack
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson

Venom and Song - CSFF Blog Tour Day One - Or, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider King

2010-09-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

Venom? This book is about Spider-Man’s dark-suited alien-symboite possessed arch-nemesis?

No, actually it’s the sequel to Wayne Batson and Christopher Hopper’s fantasy Curse of the Spider King.

Spider King? Is that one of Spider-Man’s allies?

*Editor hits desk with ruler* Enough of the Spider-Man jokes!

Okay, okay. Sheesh!

Anyway, for the uninitiated, the Spider King is the titular nemesis of the The Berinfell Prophecies Series. He seeks to conquer the world of Allyra, and more specifically conquer the race of elves that have since fled to the underground of their world. To protect the heirs to the seven elven lords, they were taken to Earth as babies. When they all became thirteen, their special gifts began to manifest themselves (ability to make fire, super speed like the Flash, etc). Unfortunately, the Spider-King’s forces located them as well, and last we saw, the teens had to skedaddle to Allyra.

That’s where Venom and Song opens.

I previously gave Curse of the Spider-King a positive review here. Some readers were put off by the large cast of protagonists-seven in all-and the time it took to get there. Personally, I thought the story was good, in that it did just what it set out to do. It vacillated between moments of high fantasy, slice of life drama and comedy, creepy scenes involving monsters, and at the end, a great action sequence. Also, Wayne and Christopher have a good feel for creating young protagonists, probably more so than in almost any Christian fantasy series I’ve read to date. I’ll comment more on that as the tour rolls on, but I think for Venom and Song they were just as good, if not better, with the young characters.

My initial impressions with Venom and Song are very favorable. While COTSK jumped from teenager to teenager, when it wasn’t going into the Allyra flashbacks, VAS is much tighter. It focuses primarily on the seven teenagers and rarely leaves them except to cut to the Spider King, the other elves, etc, primarily characters we already know. Also, since the seven are finally together, we get to see how these different kids get along-or in some cases-not. I’ll comment more on that later on.

And as aside, I loved that one of the teens suggests going back to Earth and getting modern day guns and ammunition to fight the Spider King. So many of these fantasy worlds are only at a medieval level of technical development, so swords and arrows are typically your only bet. Of course, if you could manage to bring some sweet firearms with you, you might have a leg up on things. Of course, the kids are told that inorganic material cannot pass through the portals, so the idea of an 80s action movie montage where the elves enter an armory and stock up on machine guns is nipped in the bud. Wait a sec, did the Allyrans subcontract their portals out to Skynet?

Next time, more of my thoughts on Spider-Man…I mean, Venom and Song! Check the links below. Um…gotta run!

*Author runs as editor gives chase with two by four*

* Venom and Song - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400315069 (or an alternate link of your choice)
Authors’ blogs
Wayne Thomas Batson – http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/
Christopher Hopper – http://www.christopherhopper.com/blog/

Angela
Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Melissa Carswell
Jeff Chapman
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
April Erwin
Tori Greene
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Tammy Shelnut
James Somers
Kathleen Smith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Jason Waguespack
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson

CSFF July Blog Tour – Starlighter - Day 3

2010-07-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

A few more thoughts on Starlighter on this final day of the tour:

I’ve noticed several reviews have called into question Starlighter’s blend of science fiction and fantasy, finding some of the sci-fi gizmos like the photo gun a little odd in a setting that seems primarily medieval. While I certainly agree that sometimes genre bending can be a little confusing, I didn’t get that with Starlighter. A few points:

First, it is possible that a society may remain somewhat primitive in many aspects, but yet may be more developed in other areas. So the idea that swords and armor are co-existing with photo guns, or in Jason’s case, a messaging device that requires genetic code to activate, shouldn’t be too unusual. The setting of the humans’ world seemed sufficiently advanced enough that they could credibly have such advanced technical items-they all live in man-made dwellings instead of say, caves or a series of primitive huts. I would also point out that there’s a lot of room to see more of Darksphere/Major Four’s civilization. It’s not as if we got the detailed tour of every aspect of their lives. It’s also possible they were a more advanced society in the past but fell from an earlier glory, and their spotty technology is just leftovers.

I think the more interesting stories have tended to merge ideas from different genres. Take an example from Bryan Davis’ Dragons in our Midst series. The first book in the lot, Raising Dragons, was an Arthurian fantasy set in modern times. It had dragons, Merlin, Arthur, swords, and a villainous black knight. The sequel, The Candlestone, was very different. Much of it revolved around a secret underground lab that seemed like it parts of it were inspired from a James Bond movie, a Frankenstein movie, or any Star Trek flick or episode. The plot revolved around the bad guys’ efforts to extract the dark knight from the previous book from a small stone, inside which matter is converted to a light energy and stored within. The lab has a machine that transforms people into light energy so they can venture inside the stone, and then extract them back to their solid forms. I must imagine that some readers must have wondered where a series that seemed like it was reinterpreting Arthurian legends suddenly turned into an episode of Star Trek.

Some might say that the DIOM books are contemporary while Starlighter is a completely fantasy work. In that case, we could examine one of the most famous fantasies of all: Star Wars. People would say it’s science fiction, but on what basis? That it has cool futuristic machines? What then would you call the Force? I don’t know what the scientific basis of “Use the Force, Luke,” is. When you look at science fiction, its primary function is to examine the effect machines and technology have on mankind. It’s not so much the tools as the attitude the narrative takes toward the gadgets. If you look at the original Star Wars, it’s a fairy tale re-garbed in a universe of advanced technology. Darth Vader is the black knight/sorcerer who wields mystical powers. Obi-Wan Kenobi is much like Merlin. Both engage in a sword fight whose only difference between their archetypal counterparts is that their swords are not metal but made of energy. The story is about a group of plucky heroes who rescue a princess from an enemy stronghold. In the end, Luke blows up the Death Star by exercising a spiritual force, not by using his targeting computer. That’s definitely in the realm of fantasy. By contrast, a franchise like Star Trek is more interested in how mankind uses technology for the betterment of his own race, in exploring the universe and expanding his realm of knowledge.

So I think if one were to characterize Starlighter as fantasy, I’d say they’re right. But the fact that it has advanced machinery should not be disconcerting. It’s the attitude the story takes toward that technology.

One more time for the other blog tour members:

Brandon Barr
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
R. L. Copple
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Jane Maritz
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
SarahFlan
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher
Jason Waguespack

CSFF July Blog Tour – Starlighter - Day 2

2010-07-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today I’m going to post my review of Starlighter.

I’ve read all of Dragons in our Midst and Oracles of Fire series, as well as Beyond the Reflection’s Edge and roughly half of Eternity’s Edge, so I come into this knowing Bryan’s work very well. Suffice to say, unlike someone who would be reading one of his works for the first time, I was more attuned to common themes and ideas that he has used before. I have to say, on that level, Bryan’s work was not very derivative. It wasn’t a clone of his previous works, but you could tell it was a “Bryan Davis” work. (Heh, heh, I wonder if we writers should want to be so branded like that. I can only wonder what someone would think of one of my stories) The heroes are young and brave, and the heroines are spunky, but not in a way that duplicates characters from his earlier works. Many of the characters are unique and have some eccentricities that make them interesting, particularly Tibber and Elyssa.

Anyway, the story opens with a young soldier named Jason fighting an opponent in sword to sword combat.

Already I love this story.

As it turns out, Jason Masters is a resident of a planet called Major Four (dragons call it Darksphere) who is promoted to the job of guarding a powerful governor…who is promptly killed and Jason is made a patsy for the murder and flees.

Don’t you just hate it when that happens?

The other plotline involves a planet called Starlight, where a girl named Koren is found to have the powers of a Starlighter. (I won’t give away what it is, it’s actually very cool and I wouldn’t want to spoil those scenes) This leads her to a mysterious black egg, which houses the dragon prince inside. The prince is the subject of a prophecy, whose emergence could spell good or ill.

Of great interest in this tale is that the humans on both planets are grappling with competing beliefs about the human race and dragons. Jason, as well as his brother believe that a group of humans-called the Lost Ones-was kidnapped from their world long ago by dragons and that their descendants might still be alive, but the prevailing authorities on their planet frown on such talk to the point of imprisonment. On Starlight, the dragons tell the human slaves that they are natives of that world, while a few humans believe in a world where their home race originated from. On both planets, voicing beliefs contrary to the ones held by the majority will probably get you imprisoned or killed. I like this element of the story because it makes the characters more pro-active. They don’t have a wizened elder to tell them what to do, and they don’t have a prophet-type to give them instructions. For those who are fans of the Dragons in our Midst/Oracles of Fire books, the characters typically were confronted by enigmatic poems given by prophets like Merlin or Enoch-or were given instructions by them directly. Over time, as the hero characters aligned themselves completely with God, there was no doubt they seek to follow the prophecies or instructions as best they could. The tension was in how they interpreted the words and whether their actions would succeed. While that tension worked well even in the later stories, I think there’s still a limitation to the heroes’ actions in that they’re following a blueprint to resolve the crisis they’re in, and aren’t going to monkey around with it very much.* In this story, the characters don’t have that guidance. They’re acting more on general faith and their own principles, and those actions will have enormous consequences not only for themselves, but for perhaps the fate of two worlds. I liked that. I also liked that even though I could guess at what was true, the narrative didn’t quite make that clear. I’m sure there is still more to the story of these two worlds than what we’ve learned.

*(Again, I’d stress Bryan still makes them interesting because he writes them out in the form of poems that are beautiful to read and enigmatic enough to keep you guessing. A lot of prophecies in fantasy works tend to be as flat as saying someone will be the chosen one to fight evil, and then his great power comes on like flipping a light switch. How dramatic…)

Earlier, I semi-jokingly called this a “Bryan Davis” work. I say that because in addition to the fantastical settings and youthful characters, we also get scenes where moral or spiritual issues are pondered and explored. In this case, such scenes are found when Koren is debating issues of love with the dragon prince, who can communicate telepathically with her. The prince asserts that Koren has no ability to love him on her own, that she must force herself to love him, to become his servant in a manner more befitting a slave. He initially sounds very Messianic, but it becomes evident to Koren that something is wrong here, and his rhetoric that her love can only be coerced from her only serves to repulse her. I’m not entirely sure where this line of debate will go, as it seems unresolved in this story. It’s an interesting but unresolved layer in this saga; I’d like to see how it plays out in future sequels.

Overall, I liked the book. I thought it was a well-rounded, well-paced tale without any rough edges and a fresh universe to work from. Nothing struck me as false or out of place. It’s a book I think would be ideal for the junior high set and up. I noticed that some readers didn’t like the cliffhanger ending, but personally I don’t think it was that abrupt, and the closure for the tale was adequate.

Next time: More thoughts on Starlighter!

Blog tour links for your convenience:

Brandon Barr
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
R. L. Copple
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Jane Maritz
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
SarahFlan
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher
Jason Waguespack

CSFF July Blog Tour – Starlighter - Day 1

2010-07-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

We're kicking off the July blog tour with a look at Bryan Davis' newest opus, Starlighter. It's the beginning of a new series called Dragons of Starlight, a sci-fi fantasy series that, in case you're wondering, has nothing to do with Bryan's previous Dragons in our Midst series. No, this is a different story, with a different setting, different characters, etc.

The book can be ordered here:- http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0310718368/

I'd like to kick off Monday with a list of links about Bryan and his work. Plenty of interviews, reviews of his earlier books, it's all here! (The links that still work, anyway) So sit back and enjoy!

Posts by Bryan on Spec Faith
The Official Dragons In Our Midst Website
Fantasy and the Heart of a Child by Bryan Davis
Fantasy and the Heart of a Child (Updated)
The Ultimate Youth Fantasy Adventure (DIOM Advertisment)
Interview with Bryan Davis - Christian Book Previews
Interview with Bryan Davis - Christian Book Previews with Dian Moore
Interview with Bryan Davis - The Sword Review
Interview with Bryan Davis
Interview with Bryan Davis
Interview with Bryan Davis, Author of the Dragons in Our Midst Fantasy Series
Bryan Davis Interview 7-7-04 - Christianbook.com
Dragons Storm the CBA Youth Best-Seller List
Faith Writers Magazine - Bryan Davis Interview and Circles of Seven Review
Circles of Seven by Bryan Davis (Review)
Tears of a Dragon, Book 4 in the Dragons in Our Midst series (Review)
In a creative rut of reactionism (Comments on DIOM)
A MonT-SteR correction (E-mail exchange with Bryan Davis)
Raising Dragons Review - Edenstar Books
Raising Dragons Review - Crosshome
The Candlestone Review
The Write Brothers
Okay, I admit it...
Can Dragons Make Christian Fantasy Fly?
Young Readers and the Allure of Fantasy - Part I
Young Readers and the Allure of Fantasy - Part II
Good News -- Young Adult Fantasy With Faith Foundation
Book Review: Dragons in our Midst
Raising Dragons Review
Raising Dragons by Bryan Davis: Young Adult Fantasy for Everyone
Eye of the Oracle Review
Top 10 Reasons Why Authors Who Are Public Speakers Have An Unfair Advantage In Promoting Their Books
Author Bryan Davis - Free Book
An Interview with Bryan Davis
Enter the Door Within - Motiv8 Blog Tour - Bryan Davis
Ten Tough Questions (and 1 easy one) for...Bryan Davis!
L.B. Graham - Bryan Davis
Interview with Bryan Davis
The Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour #3- Bryan Davis
I Know Why the Angels Dance Author Interview Part 1
I Know Why the Angels Dance Author Interview Part 2
Wild Card Tours: Interview with Author Bryan Davis
The Yodeling Dwarf Interview with Bryan Davis

Now, assuming you're not tired of links, here's the rest of the participants. Give them a ring.

Brandon Barr
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
R. L. Copple
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Jane Maritz
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
SarahFlan
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher
Jason Waguespack

Two For Tuesday Review: Hunter Brown and Ryann Watters

2009-12-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

(This review is cross-posted at Speculative Faith.)

I was supposed to have finished this review months ago, but a lot of things jumped in the way, namely school, work, other books, etc. Anyway, I’m back in the saddle, and ready to proceed with my special double review. I purchased two Christian fantasy books not too long ago at about the same time. Each of them has a similar premise, and I decided for fun to review them both at the same time. The two books are Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword by Eric Reinhold and Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow by the Miller Brothers.

I’ll briefly recap what both stories are about. In Ryann Watters, the titular character is visited by an angel who gives him special items and a mission to find the King’s Sword. He eventually enters the land of Aeliana, a land inhabited by talking animals. In Hunter Brown, the titular character and a friend of his end up in the land of Solandria, where Hunter joins a force called the Codebearers, who fight for the Author against the evil Venator and the forces of Sceleris, a being who once was the Author’s scribe.

Given the growing number of Christian fantasy authors, we’ve got an opportunity to how they put spins on a familiar theme. In this case, we have two good stories that take the same idea: young person ends up in fantasy world to fight evil-and fashion different takes on it. I’ll first look at each book separately.

Hunter Brown reminded me a lot of Wayne Batson’s The Door Within. Both stories feature a villain that was once favored of the God-like character (The Author in Hunter Brown, King Eliam in The Door Within), but became greedy for more and instead is punished for his transgressions by being thrown into a lesser state-Paragor from TDW wanted to be king but can only be a prince, Sceleris wanted to be an author himself but is now a character in the Author’s book. Hunter and Aidan (the protagonist from TDW) both attend a dinner and are acclaimed as a special guest that is chosen for a special duty. Aidan and Hunter are surrounded by colorful warriors with boisterous personalities, and also are paired up with a strong warrior-gal. Both boys have a vision that the elder warriors take seriously, with one going to consult in private about the matter. Both books feature a battle against a city by the evil army (though in Hunter Brown it occurs off-page), and a subsequent journey into the dark forces’ lair. Hunter Brown even slips in at least two times the phrase “Never alone.” (I’m not saying Hunter Brown is a rip-off, I just found the similarities interesting. I have seen stories that seem like shameless rip-offs; this isn’t one of them)

Okay, some of the story elements weren’t all that new, but the execution was very good. But the last few chapters took the story from cool to awesome land. The revelation about Venator actually wasn’t that surprising considering Ventator’s age, but it was still great. But as it goes on, the story just gets plain…unpredictable. Things happen that you don’t expect, and Hunter doesn’t always make the best choices, or even choices you think he’s going to make. Even his allegiance-to the Shadow or the Codebearers, isn’t really settled until the final few pages, and for a moment, Hunter actually makes a choice that protagonists usually don’t make in these stories-(SPOILER)-he decides not to choose either side. Granted, his choice doesn’t work out like he wanted, natch, but I actually like that for a moment that he doesn’t know if he should trust anybody but himself. The last part of this story is a head-spinning, riveting conclusion, and it hands this story a big thumbs up.

Stylistically, I like the book cover and the illustrations that popped up at times. Also, the book is written from a first person perspective, which is not very common in these fantasy books, and the authors deserve kudos for making it work. It’s generally hard to write in this fashion because you can’t cut away from the main character, at least not very easily.

Now to Ryann Watters. This story focuses on three human characters and three talking animal characters, with the main hero being Ryann. While it is a fantasy story, it actually doesn’t focus a lot on the fantasy world of Aeliana. Ryann and his friends make brief stops there for about the first two thirds of the tale, while being pursued by their arch-nemesis Drake. The emphasis in this story is actually on Ryann’s spiritual education. To solve mysteries, he frequently consults the Bible, and many of the good guys quote Scripture extensively.

The story is pretty straight forward, and it won’t knock your socks off with a “wow, I wasn’t expecting that” moment. But it’s a pleasant read. One of things I liked is the dual storyline of hero and villain. In this case, the antagonist, Drake, is another teenager, matching Ryann with a peer opponent, a reverse of the “chosen one” trope. Here the bad guys also recruit a young person for adventure, albeit a bad one. And Drake isn’t entirely unsympathetic. He’s a villain, but one who’s had a hard life, and you wonder if Eric has redemption plans for him down the road.

On the downside, Aeliana is not described much in detail. There’s very little to distinguish this place from say, Narnia, and many of the visits don’t build the world up very much.

So, how do these two stories compare? Hunter Brown was more allegorical in its spiritual themes, while Ryann Watters is a lot more direct, with few or no stand-ins for God, Scripture, and angels. For example, Hunter consults the Author’s Writ for wisdom, while Ryann goes right to the Bible itself. The protagonists themselves are different. Hunter is an unbeliever who spends the whole story trying to pick his allegiance, while Ryann is already a good kid who’s trying to mature in his faith. They’re both good avenues to explore; I think you need stories about an unbelieving protagonist who finds the light, and about a believer who learns to persevere and mature.

Tone-wise, you could compare Hunter Brown to Nickelodeon, with gross-outs, rebellious kids, and lots of action. Ryann Watters on the other hand is more like Disney, with a lighter, more “magical” world with talking animals and plucky, good-natured protagonists. Actually, I was struck by how non-violent Ryann Watters was. It has some action, but it’s actually quite light for this genre. I could see this book as very accessible for the younger set, a stepping stone for other works in this genre.

I’d say pick up either one of these books. I think both of them are good, though I’d give Hunter Brown a higher grade. Both stories also have sequels out, which I hope to review again, perhaps in another double-review. And hopefully, I will have that review out in a timely fashion-before book number three in both series debuts on the bookshelves…

New Review Coming Up

2009-11-28T08:03:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping to post a long-delayed post of two books: Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow, and Ryann Watters and the King's Sword. I was hoping to get this review out before the sequels were released, but, you know, life gets in the way...haha. So stick around!

Curse of the Spider King Blog Tour Day Three

2009-11-18T06:46:00.000-08:00

Today I give my complete review of Wayne Batson and Christopher Hopper’s book Curse of the Spider King.

A little background before I start. I haven’t read any of Christopher Hopper’s books, so I don’t have an idea of what his “style” is like. (Sorry, Christopher, I just have a backlog of stuff, but I do want to get to them) I have read The Door Within and Rise of the Wyrm Lord, and a few chapters of The Final Storm. Still haven’t gotten to his two pirate stories yet. (Again, sorry)
The cover is great, with armored soldiers riding atop giant spiders amid a forest setting with a castle in the background. The idea of soldiers riding spiders is cool. We’ve seen horses a zillion times, but spiders? I hope readers don’t have arachnophobia!

However, you won’t see much of the fantasy world of Allyra. Almost all of the story actually takes place on Earth, as we met seven young protagonists who we come to see have some things in common. They begin to develop unusual gifts, and are given books by various adults that allow them to see into the history of Allyra, and this is where the style of the book changes in both font and appearance. The pages now look like an ancient tome, and the content is much more Lord of the Rings-like, with a race of elves fighting for survival against the evil Spider King. There aren’t many of these scenes in the story, but there are compelling when you do read them. But this is definitely an Earth-bound story.

With seven protagonists, it takes a while for the story to get moving. We spend a lot of time getting to know them and their families, and see how their gifts affect their day to day lives, sort of like a junior version of X-Men. It’s not until we get until the final third of the book that things really pick up, but boy does it. If this book ever gets made into a movie, the final battle scene would be worth the price of admission.

I have to say Wayne and Christopher do a good job at capturing the hopes and fears of adolescent youngsters. I thought Wayne pulled that off well in The Door Within, and this book feels like an older brother to that story, just more complex and introspective. I think there will be more than a few times when young readers will come across a scene and say, “I wish I could do that!” (Especially during the test-taking scene) Also, the kids are not just Americans or even British as they tend to be in these tales. We get Scottish and Russian teenagers as well, complete with some thick accents. Finally, there are scenes that are laugh out loud funny. I don’t know which of the writing duo is responsible for the “what are the boys/girls thinking” scene, but kudos to whoever thought it up!

Also, while the elves are unquestionably the good guys in the story, Wayne and Christopher don’t put them off the hook in incurring the Spider King’s wrath. Some time in the past, the elves apparently did something to the Gwar, but it’s not spelled out in this book (at least not that I can remember). An interesting angle that should be explored in the second book.

So did Wayne deliver on his spin on “the chosen one” trope? I think this might be the story, because as it turns out, these seven kids aren’t from Earth at all, but are actually Allyra elves who escaped the Spider King’s massacre. Yeah, I have to say there are very few times when it’s been done the other way around! (Maybe Superman qualifies?)

But these kids actually aren’t sent to Earth for their safety…but for the bad guys’! As it turns out, killing the children of the Elf Lords invokes a curse, so the Spider King doesn’t want to do the deed, and the unfortunate flunkies who captured the newborn Elf Lord children don’t want to either, but they’ll get on the Spider King’s bad side if they don’t, so they treat the babies like a hot potato and push them off on us humans, thinking it’ll be our problem now. Now that’s a cool (and funny) twist!

The book had its surprises. It’s not a big adventure story, though the few Allyra scenes are pretty exciting. I suspect the next book, Venom and Song, will be like that. It’s not an obvious journey to Narnia-like story. In a way, it’s more like a journey to Earth-then journey to Allyra story. Also, there isn’t a clear protagonist or pair of protagonists. With seven of them, the story jumps from one to the other, though I was beginning to think Tommy Bowman was emerging as the “hero,” by the last third. Some reviewers have complained that there are too many protagonists in the story, and if you add in their adult “helpers,” that adds to the page count. Now, I actually don’t mind a lot of characters as long as they’re interesting. I think this bunch is, but they need to get involved in a story that allows them to interact together more. You had to wait until the last third for that to happen. Personally, if I have a big cast, I try to link them together as early as possible, depending on how long the story is. Sometimes you do need to separate out characters for long periods of time.

I’ve read a few reviews that wonder if this book is “Christian” enough. I did detect a general respect for Christianity in the book, a Bible verse or two is quoted, and the elves have their own name for God. It maybe not be overtly Christian, but I did think that there’s a subtle theme in this story about receiving and using one’s gifts for the glory of the King, as Christians are gifted in real life, as having different positions in the body of Christ (being the ear, the eyes, the hand, etc) and using them to advance the kingdom. Actually, the fact that the themes are more subtle here can be a good thing, as this book could possibly find its way into public schools.
In sum, I liked this book. It’s fun, very realistic with the young characters, and even creepy at times (as in cue the Psycho theme creepy). I’m sure Venom and Song will knock our socks off!

And next time we deal with spiders, perhaps we should call John Goodman.

"Rock and Roll."

Curse of the Spider King Blog Tour, Day Two

2009-11-17T07:15:00.000-08:00

While I was reading this book, it occurred to me that Wayne may have given me a clue as to what the story would be like. Two years ago, Wayne posted this on his writer’s forum:

I've heard it said that there are a finite number of basic plots for a novel. Things like "the quest," "the coming of age," "the discovery," etc. ...that all stories at the simplest level fall into one of the set number of plot structures.

I've also seen books panned because "the plot is derivative." Eragon, which I happen to like btw, has dozens of one and two-star reviews on Amazon, the majority of which decry the story for being a rip off of LotR and Star Wars.

Thing is, Lucas "borrowed" much of his plot from Arthurian legend, and Tolkien, all-time-master-story-teller that he is, borrowed heavily from Norse traditions.

So my question is twofold:

1. Are there plotlines out there that have just been "done to death?"

2. What can an author do to revive or renew familiar plots so that they will feel original to the reader?

Personally, I thought the Eragon movie was very derivative of the first Star Wars movie, though I can't speak for the book.
I answered question one this way.

…there's the "YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE!" story, which we've seen a lot from Star Wars, The Matrix, Dune, the Terminator movies, and Lord of the Rings. Here, basically an unwitting chap is yanked from his regular, hum-drum life and is told he has a special destiny, in many ways it's a variant on Christ's story. This plot, to be honest, is one I think needs to be retired or at least semi-retired, because the moment the bearded (or in Morpheus' case, the shaded) one reveals the chosen one's destiny, the suspense is pretty much gone. You know he's going to receive his special powers or whatever and defeat the evil forces, because "he's the chosen one." (I know Lucas made Anakin the chosen one, but he turned out to be a bad guy, and I still don't understand what Lucas was trying to tell us with that) I just think things like that, and old prophesies fortelling the hero's fate, really sucks a lot of anticipation out of the story, unless it's done really really well.

You know, if you think about it, it really is a done-to-death cliche. How many movies and books have this plot device? (Though quite a few still do it well)
Anyway, the Waynester replied:

Awww, mannnn, Jason, just wait for my next fantasy series. I am SO going to turn this cliche on its head.

Hmmm….well that piqued my curiosity. Is Curse of the Spider King said turning said cliché on said head? Read tomorrow's post to find out!

So how did Wayne and Christopher collaborate on this book, given they live in two different states? How do you bring two creative minds together on a single work of fiction? In two really neat posts, Wayne addresses that. The images on the blogs are especially cool. Check them out: here and here .

James Somers also asked Wayne about the creative process today, so check that out, too.

Finally, these video links have Wayne and Christoper discussing COTSK.

Author Talk: The Art of Layering
Author Talk: Batson & Hopper Lackawana Interview
Author Talk: More Than Words

Next time, my personal review of Curse of the Spider King!

P.S. Um, I wonder if anyone’s told Christopher that his ceek@mac.com address can be pronounced as “C-Eek!”

*Featured book:
Curse of the Spider King - Order From Amazon.

Author and series links:
Wayne Thomas Batson’s blog - http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/
Christopher Hopper’s Web site - http://www.christopherhopper.com/
The Berinfell Prophecies Web site - http://www.heedtheprophcies.com

*Participants’ Links:
Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Amy Browning
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
Emmalyn Edwards
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Todd Michael Greene
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Tina Kulesa
Melissa Lockcuff
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Nissa
John W. Otte
Cara Powers
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Jason Waguespack
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

Curse of the Spider King Blog Tour Day 1

2009-11-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

Today I’m posting the first of three posts on a new novel by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper. The duo has been known for their previous forays into fantasy, with Wayne having written The Door Within trilogy, and Christopher publishing The White Lion Chronicles. But this time they’ve teamed up on their first co-authored effort, Curse of the Spider King. It’s a fantasy story about seven Earth teenagers who aren’t as they appear to be…and rival forces from the world of Allyra arrive on Earth to battle for their future.

Here’s what Wayne had to say about the book on Amazon.com:

Curse of the Spider King is my sixth novel, but it is the first that I've cowritten. I met coAuthor Christopher Hopper at a publisher's convention in Denver about four years ago. We were, at that time, writing for different publishers, but we just happened to book the same hotel (I think because it was inexpensive. lol) Through a number of goofy circumstances, I ended up meeting Christopher Hopper at one of his events, and it was the strangest thing. I felt like I'd somehow known Christopher for 20 years. We had so much in common, being fantasy writers, but also in terms of faith, music, hobbies, way of thinking...right down to a whacked-Monty Python-meets-John Hughes sense of humor.

Christopher lives in Upstate NY, and I live in Maryland, so we looked for a middle ground where we could get together for "Writers Bootcamp" weekends. Together we worked on our different novels and found it to be extremely rewarding. I still remember walking down the snowy streets of Scranton, puffing out wisps of breath, saying, "Wouldn't it be cool if we could write a novel together some day?" Well, fast forward, and God opened up that door for us.

Readers you should know that this project does not represent two authors writing in two voices. Nor is it more Wayne's style or more Christopher's style. This is "OUR" voice together, and I think it's an improvement over anything we've done alone.

Readers, you should also be warned: we had a hysterically good time writing Curse of the Spider King (and now its sequels). We write using iChat, Messenger, Cell Phone). If you could listen in to our writing conversations, you would hear two fantasy-loving maniacs, cackling away like mad scientists as we create. The result, we think, is a massively entertaining adventure that turns the fantasy "portal story" on its head and asks, "What if a fantasy realm invaded our world?"

Get ready for mysterious events, relentless action, middle-of-the-night chills, and a wriggling, snarling, scratching collection of creatures that is sure to please imaginative readers of all ages.

Please let us know what you think of Spider King. And get ready for the sequel: Venom and Song, due out May 2010.

If you want to learn more about Wayne and Christopher and their work, here are some links you can explore:

Wayne Thomas Batson

Interview: Wayne Thomas Batson
Ten Tough Questions (and 1 easy one) for...Wayne Thomas Batson!
L.B. Graham - Wayne Thomas Batson
Interview with Wayne Thomas Batson
The Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour #6a- Wayne Thomas Batson
The Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour #6b- Wayne Thomas Batson
Curse of the Spider King Author Interview Part 1
Curse of the Spider King Author Interview Part 2
Interview with Wayne Batson
Interview with Wayne Batson
Interview with Wayne Batson
Interview with Wayne Batson
Interview with Wayne Batson
Q & A with Wayne Batson
Where the Map Ends - Wayne Thomas Batson
7 minute trailer for The Door Within Trilogy

Christopher Hopper

Interview: Christopher Hopper
Enter the Door Within - Motiv8 Blog Tour - Christopher Hopper
Eric Reinhold's Blog - Christopher Hopper
L.B. Graham - Christopher Hopper
Interview with Christopher Hopper
The Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour #4a- Christopher Hopper
The Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour #4b- Christopher Hopper's Book Trailers
News Article on Curse of the Spider King
Interview with Christopher Hopper
The Power of Stories
Local Author Takes Readers to Another World
Touring for the Tour, Day 3
Where the Map Ends - Christopher Hopper
Rise of the Dibor Trailer
The Lion Vrie Book Trailer Episode 1
The Lion Vrie Book Trailer
Author Talk: Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper
Author Talk: The Art of Layering
Author Talk: Batson & Hopper Lackawana Interview
Author Talk: More Than Words

Feel free to head on over to Amazon.com if you're interested in a copy:

Author and series links:
Wayne Thomas Batson’s blog - http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/
Christopher Hopper’s Web site - http://www.christopherhopper.com/
The Berinfell Prophecies Web site - http://www.heedtheprophcies.com

*Participants’ Links:
Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Amy Browning
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
Emmalyn Edwards
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Todd Michael Greene
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Tina Kulesa
Melissa Lockcuff
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Nissa
John W. Otte
Cara Powers
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

Next time: The Making of Curse of the Spider King!

Hi Everybody...

2009-10-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, do your eyes deceive you? Is this actually a new post?

Yep, it is.

Yours truly has been very busy lately, and fell out of certain habits like hanging around this blog. However, you may have noticed that the links on the MOTIV8 Tour post below have been increasing of late. I've added some new links over the past few weeks, so you may wish to give the post another look.

I should also add a congratulation to Wayne Baton and Christopher Hopper on seeing their new book Curse of the Spider King jump up several thousand places on Amazon.com. I preordered a copy myself. :)

I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things, so stick around for some fun stuff!

Hunter Brown And The Secret Of The Shadow - Blog Tour

2009-03-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

The one thing young readers like is a good book cover. And Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow has a smashing cover. With so many choices on the bookshelf, you want to find something that'll just grab you. A good book title will do it, but I don't think anything beats a cover.

What grabbed me was the artwork. It has a nice, animated look to it, not cartoony in a young, kiddish way, but it does look neat. The authors clearly get their audience. Granted, I'm closer to 30 than 15, but hey, I haven't lost my love for the fantastic, for animated shows, and of course, for kids wielding swords or other medieval weaponry.

So what is Hunter Brown about? Well, let's read the Amazon.com synposis:

Strange visions...hideous monsters...startling revelations... Hunter Brown never expected a summer like this, and it’s only getting started! After one of his infamous pranks backfires, Hunter unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient book and key. Little does he know the mysterious book is a gateway to Solandria, a supernatural realm held captive by the Shadow. In Solandria, Hunter joins forces with the Codebearers, a band of highly trained warriors who form the Resistance to the Shadow. But before he can complete his training in the ways of the Code of Life, Hunter is sent on a mission far more dangerous than he ever bargained for. Now with his life in peril and the future of Solandria hanging in the balance, Hunter is headed for a showdown with the Shadow and a battle to save his soul from a fate worse than death! Is Hunter’s knowledge of the Code deep enough to uncover the secret of the Shadow, or will the truth be more than he can bear?

Hmmm...mysterious book, mysterious artifact, alternate dimension...all defintely things we've seen before. But that's what makes it fun! We like that stuff. The key word here is execution. How is it executed?

Well, I bought a copy of this book a few months ago and started to read it, but other obligations kept me from completing it. Unfortunately, my memory fails me on details, but I did like what I read.

I know...that doesn't say a lot, huh? Sorry guys. But while I can't speak from first-hand experience on how the book is overall, I do think the storyline sounds exciting, the cover art is neat, and the authors' enthusiasm for their work, as I've read on their blog, is catching. And judging from the responses on other blogs, the book comes highly recommended.

So on that basis alone, check it out!

By it on Amazon: Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow
The Miller Brothers’ Web site - http://www.codebearers.com/
The Miller Brothers’ blog - http://themillerbrothers.blogspot.com/

Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Melissa Carswell
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Marcus Goodyear
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Magma
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
Wade Ogletree
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson

Cataloging the MOTIV8 Tour

2008-12-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

The MOTIV8 tour was amazing, wasn't it? It exposed a lot of people to the works of talented authors, people whose works you won't find splashed on magazine covers or talked about on the big television networks (Although, Wayne had an appearance on Fox and Friends, and Bryan's been hopping around local tv stations in certain markets lately).

So, I've been working on a new page of links! My previous page that includes the original four Fantasy Fiction Tour authors can be found here.

This page is still a work in progress, so you may see new links come up as I work on this some more.

Bryan Davis

Meet the Author, Episode 2: Bryan Davis
Enter the Door Within - Motiv8 Blog Tour - Bryan Davis
Ten Tough Questions (and 1 easy one) for...Bryan Davis!
L.B. Graham - Bryan Davis
Interview with Bryan Davis
The Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour #3- Bryan Davis
Fantasy and the Heart of a Child (Updated)
I Know Why the Angels Dance Author Interview Part 1
I Know Why the Angels Dance Author Interview Part 2
Wild Card Tours: Interview with Author Bryan Davis
The Yodeling Dwarf Interview with Bryan Davis

Wayne Thomas Batson

Meet the Author, Episode 1: Wayne Thomas Batson
Ten Tough Questions (and 1 easy one) for...Wayne Thomas Batson!
L.B. Graham - Wayne Thomas Batson
Interview with Wayne Thomas Batson
The Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour #6a- Wayne Thomas Batson
The Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour #6b- Wayne Thomas Batson
Curse of the Spider King Author Interview Part 1
Curse of the Spider King Author Interview Part 2
Exclusive Interview With the Authors Part 1
Exclusive Interview With the Authors Part 2
CSFF November Tour: Curse of the Spider King...Day One

Christopher Hopper

Meet The Author - Episode 5: Christopher Hopper
Enter the Door Within - Motiv8 Blog Tour - Christopher Hopper
Eric Reinhold's Blog - Christopher Hopper
L.B. Graham - Christopher Hopper
Interview with Christopher Hopper
The Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour #4a- Christopher Hopper
The Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour #4b- Christopher Hopper's Book Trailers
News Article on Curse of the Spider King

Eric Reinhold

Meet the Author - Episode 7: Eric Reinhold
Enter the Door Within - Motiv8 Blog Tour - Eric Reinhold
Eric Reinhold's Unedited Interview With L.B. Graham
Eric Reinhold's Interview With L.B. Graham
Interview with Eric Reinhold

L.B. Graham

Meet the Author, Episode 3: L.B. Graham
Enter the Door Within - Motiv8 Blog Tour - L.B. Graham
Ten Tough Questions (and 1 easy one) for...LB Graham!
Eric Reinhold's Blog - LB Graham
L.B. Graham's Introduction
Interview with L.B. Graham
Interview with L.B. Graham
Interview with L.B. Graham

L.B. Graham's Posts on Writing:
More Than Moralism
More Than Moralism - Posted on MOTIV8
Convention & Innovation
Convention & Innovation - Posted on MOTIV8
Villains & Conflict
Villains & Conflict - Posted on MOTIV8
The Naming of Names
The Naming of Names - Posted on MOTIV8

Jonathan Rogers

Meet the Author - Episode 8: Jonathan Rogers
Enter the Door Within - Motiv8 Blog Tour - Jonathan Rogers
L.B. Graham - Jonathan Rogers
Eric Reinhold's Blog - Jonathan Rogers
Fiction and Friction - Posted on MOTIV8
Interview with Jonathan Rogers
Interview with Jonathan Rogers

Sharon Hinck

Meet the Author - Episode 4: Sharon Hinck
Enter the Door Within - Motiv8 Blog Tour - Sharon Hinck
Eric Reinhold's Blog - Sharon Hinck
L.B. Graham - Sharon Hinck
Interview with Sharon Hinck
The Fantasy Four Fiction Tour #5a- Sharon Hinck
The Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour #5b- Sharon Hinck

Donita K. Paul

Enter the Door Within - Motiv8 Blog Tour - Donita K. Paul
Eric Reinhold's Blog - Donita K. Paul
L.B. Graham - Donita K. Paul
Interview with Donita K. Paul

Citizen Obama? Legit, or Looney?

2008-12-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

Citizen Barack Obama? Maybe not. The Supreme Court is deciding whether arguments will be held in the case of Donofrio v. Wells, which is challenging Obama's qualifications to be President of the United States. This issue has invited little press coverage, particularly on the conservative side, which is not known for being silent on controversial topics.

The conservative intelligentsia (of which I am a very small part, I have written op-eds for my college paper since 2003) is not made up of stupid or cowardly people. They have not hesitated to thrash out an issue even when it didn't seem popular to do so. That's why their silence or hesitancy on this issue is puzzling, but somewhat illuminating.

I surfed by Michelle Malkin's blog three days ago. Now, Michelle is no shill or flake. She's unloaded on the Bush administration on amnesty, on spending, on the bailouts. When it comes to this citizenship issue though, she's not buying it. In her piece, she consigns it to the same wastepaper basket as the idea that 9/11 was an inside job.

Alas, Trutherism thrives on both the left and right. Which brings us to the spate of lawsuits challenging President-elect Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court considers one of those suits filed by New Jersey citizen Leo Donofrio, who maintains that Obama is not a “natural born citizen” because his father held British citizenship.

There may be a seed of a legitimate constitutional issue to explore here (how is the citizenship requirement enforced for presidential candidates, anyway?) And at least Donofrio concedes that Obama was born in Hawaii. But a dangerously large segment of the birth certificate hunters have lurched into rabid Truther territory. The most prominent crusader against Obama’s American citizenship claim, lawyer Philip Berg (who, not coincidentally, is also a prominent 9/11 Truther), disputes that Obama was born in Hawaii and claims that Obama’s paternal grandmother told him she saw Obama born in Kenya.

Michelle is not alone. Several conservative blogs have picked up her piece and given an amen to it.

In one respect, Michelle has a point. The fact that some who dispute Obama's citizenship are also 9/11 truthers is a cause for concern. (Leo Donofrio, the retired attorney who's bringing up one of the cases, also questioned McCain's natural-born status, which may not help, no one on the Right thought that had any credibility). When a cause is disproportionally joined by people with dubious views, it inevitably taints that cause. I suspect that's why much of the right is not joining the fight on this issue.

The Right has had a history of trying to ensure that it doesn't start chasing rabbits down rabbit holes and end up lost in Wonderland. The North American Union conspiracy is one example. We were told that Bush had a secret plan to merge the U.S. with Canada and Mexico. Needless to say, it didn't happen and it's not happening. But it made conservatives who supported it look foolish in the process. And of course we have the 9/11 Truthers, who aren't confined to the right, but still exist among the right. That conspiracy is as out there as you can get. Needless to say, when it turned out that some of them were publicly supporting Ron Paul in the GOP presidential primary, it proved to be very embarrassing to his campaign, and probably doomed any chance he had of gaining traction.

Now, is this issue only worthy of people donning tin-foil hats? No. It is a legitimate Constitutional question, and it is troubling that we do not seem to have an active process for verifying candidates' natural-born status. Obama himself has invited suspicion by sealing up his credentials, including his birth certificate. To this date, he won't release it for public view. If nothing else, it's a disservice to the people he wishes to lead.

Whether Obama truly isn't a natural-born citizen is another matter. Donofrio's point is that Obama's father was a British citizen and thus under the authority of the British government, which would have conferred citizenship to Obama Sr.'s children. If so, Barack Obama would have had a dual citizenship at birth and could not have been considered "natural born." But that's only if the Constitution prohibits natural-born status on account of foreign parentage. American citizenship has been defined as being conveyed by "jus soli," meaning born on American soil. Is natural-born status solely conveyed by this as well? We currently have controversies over what are called "anchor babies," children born on American soil by illegal immigrants. If these children are citizens, are they natural-born citizens?

It may be these questions that ultimately doom any challenge to Obama's citizenship. The courts, by nature, do not require the defendents to prove their innocence, it is the plaintiffs who must prove the guilt of the other party. Similarly, they may not require that Obama prove he is natural-born, but for the plaintiff to demonstrate conclusively that he is not. But Donofrio will not even get that far. His case was denied today. I figured his case may be dismissed on basis of "standing," that he does not have the right to sue because he cannot demonstrate damage or possibility of damage to his person from his complaint. A similar argument was used to dismiss the many lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the 2003 Iraq War and the Vietnam War.

The end result will be that Obama will be President. But those who are convinced of his ineligibility will not accept it. They will argue that because Obama did not prove his legitimacy, he is not a legal POTUS. And where that line of thought will take them, I don't know for sure.

Barack Obama: God's choice?

2008-12-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

I was passing by World Net Daily the other day and I found this article, in which people are debating whether Barack Obama was chosen by God to be president. Rebecca Miller brought up a similar point just after the election (I left a comment). The assumption goes off passages like this, "He removes kings and raises up kings" (Daniel 2:21) or "...there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1).

I wonder, though, if Romans 13 is meant to be read in a certain context. How would this explain people like Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Tito, Mao, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, Idi Amin, Robert Mugabe, or Kim Jong-Il? Romans 13 says the "rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong." But what happens when the rulers do wrong? Romans 13 calls them "God's servant" twice, but it is plain as day that the list I just rattled off served their own evil interests. In many of these countries, to submit to the authorities would be to surrender your religious faith and embrace the state. Obviously, they cannot do that.

And if God chooses all leaders, then why have an election? Why should we participate if the choice is divinely ordained? Could we then blame God if our leader does something we don't like? How much responsibility should we give God, or not?

There is another point that I'm finding a little unsettling. From the WND piece:

Andrew Ervin, whose words make it clear he's no supporter of Obama, nonetheless concedes that he believes God granted Obama the victory. "Do you believe that God is still in control of events in the world?" Ervin asks. "Do you believe that all authority comes from God? … If you answered yes to even one of these questions, then you must realize that God chose Obama to be the president of this great country. "Like the Israelites of old, we have grown decadent and have forgotten our Christian roots," Ervin argues. "And so, like the Israelites of old that clamored for a king to lead them, God has given us President Obama so that we can be given over to our craven desires. We have sinned against God, and it is time to take our medicine."

Now here's where we back off and start giving man the credit for choosing our leader. Not because we wanted it, but because we actually deserved it because of our country's sinful actions. God is simply giving us what we "deserve." You see, God is appointing the leader, but it's what we really want in our heart of evil hearts, so even if Obama was really to lose, God would intervene and have Obama elected. So we can blame ourselves for Obama, but absolve God of it at the same time.

It should be obvious that this kind of thinking doesn't work. The United States is not comparable to ancient Israel. Ervin compares us to the Israelites clamoring for a king, which turned out to be Saul. But 59 million people, 46% of the popular vote, 22 states didn't vote for Obama. Whatever ancient Israel did, it did almost in unison. They were a single people with a single culture that usually went one way all at once. The United States is divided into fifty different states, with people of different religions, different denominations of Christianity, different cultures, different ways of thinking and living. You can't say America "wants" a king because this country was founded to mitigate the differences in opinion that this country would always have. Read James Madison's Federalist papers.

It seems that the church is getting into the habit of presuming too much on God's actions. Sometimes the words "I don't know" can be very liberating. Did God chose Obama to be president? I don't know. If I was to say so, could I back it up definitively? No. I don't know that God has divinely appointed Obama. I tend not to think so. Why is it important? What would that knowledge gain us?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-25T21:12:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is almost upon us. I love Thanksgiving. And what's not to like? A holiday that involves food. And for this Thanksgiving we'll be enjoying a nice ham at the G.O. residence.

Of course, Thanksgiving is more than food.

It's about giving thanks.

Aren't you thankful? Do you take your material possessions, your family, your home for granted? Do you remember that your life, your breath, your soul, and the boon of salvation is all a gift from God?

I figured you would.

But if you didn't, now is a good time to do just that.

For as the Bible says, receive everything in thankfulness.

I am thankful. I am thankful for all I have. My family, my country, and my God, my Lord and Savior, who came to Earth and gave Himself for me, so I would live.

Be thankful, friend.

Rejecting the Doom and Gloomers

2008-11-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

Well, it was pretty bad. All things considered, maybe it could have been worse.

Not surprisingly, I'm reading posts and op-eds saying the usual doom and gloom. God has certainly lifted His hand from our nation. America has embraced the road to perdition. America's elected a big pro-abortion president. Doom and judgment will surely come.

Balonga.

When was abortion discussed at length in this campaign? When did social issues come up? What do you think people voted for Obama for? Simple, the economy. It was the mortage crisis that upset the apple cart, and McCain had no good answer for it. It was the issue most salient to voters' minds. The mainstream media did their part by focusing on the economy and excluding most issues that conservatives hold dear. The onus is on McCain for not communicating a coherent economic message, or emphasizing social issues that would have seperated himself from Obama.

If you want a true look at America's values, look at the gay marriage bans. All of them passed. Even in California. America is center-right, still traditional in its values. We do not embrace Obama's social values, and we know because the election was not about them. If anything, Obama took great pains to come off as a non-threatening, acceptable leader who preached responsibility and hard work. He looked like the guy who lived down your street, that would smile and wave as you went to work.

Now, I didn't buy it. But a lot of people did. And they don't all have access to the info I have. Am I going to judge them for their ignorance? Again, it was McCain's duty to inform them. He did not.

The sun will still rise in the morning. Life will be lived. The world will not end tomorrow. The country will not suddenly be stricken by divine wrath because it elected Obama. Remember Bill Clinton? He was no less a pro-abort than Obama, and he proceded to turn the White House into a trashy soap opera. Morally, he was probably one of our worst presidents. Guess what? The country's still in one piece.

So I reject the doom and gloomers. Yes, things are going to happen we don't like. Yes, Obama is in a position to appoint Supreme Court justices (although, since it's likely to be Ginsburg or Stevens, it really won't change the current balance).

But you know, there are millions of good people in this country. Many of 'em. We wouldn't be having these passionate disagreements over these issues if we didn't. And you know what? In two years, Congress is back up again for re-election. Soon enough, we'll have our referendum on Barack Obama's presidency.

"I will lie me down and bleed awhile / And then I will rise and fight again." - Ronald Reagan, after losing the 1976 primary to Gerald Ford.

I also liked Christopher Hopper's musings on this election.

P.S. Although, the fact that Al Franken almost beat Senator Norm Coleman in Minnesota shakes my faith a little...

I am Endorsing John McCain for President (Warning: Long Post)

2008-11-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

I haven't dipped into the political waters on this blog, not that I don't have an opinion on politics (Oh boy, do I) but I've wanted to focus more on writing. But we've got a presidential election coming up, and it's on a lot of people's minds. It's been on my mind a lot, not least because I'm a political guy. I'm a fantasy/sci-fi guy, but I'm also a political guy. I eat this stuff up. Sometimes I love it, sometimes it drives me crazy.

This presidential election is between two flawed candidates, one much more so than the other. Earlier this year, many conservatives felt disheartened when Senator McCain won the GOP nomination. The senator, known for a long time as a maverick, had done a lot to irk conservatives with liberal legislation like McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, or McCain-Lieberman. The idea of a "moderate" Republican winning the White House seemed anathema to everything people like me have worked for.

For that reason, I don't expect anybody who has a deep-seated opposition to McCain to be convinced to vote for him, and that's fine. McCain will have to earn their trust if he wins, if he can. I don't anticipate I will convince anybody of what I'm going to say, and that'll be okay with me.

I will, somewhat begrudgedly, endorse McCain for president.

I do so for several reasons. The chief reason is McCain's opponent. Only he or Senator McCain will garner the electoral votes needed to win. And Senator Obama has shown himself to have no understanding of what makes this country work. None whatsoever. He wants to "spread the wealth" around. He wants to take money from hardworking Americans and give it to those he deems worthy. It is pure socialism.

Furthermore, his judgment is highly suspect. For twenty years, he went to a church where a racist, hate-mongering pastor named Jeremiah Wright shouted racial divisiveness from the pulpit. Wright screams that America deserved 9/11. He says the government invented AIDS to kill blacks. He calls America the "U.S. of KKK-A." And I'm supposed to accept that Obama did not know about this? How about Obama's alliance with former Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers? In his prime, Ayers exhorted, "Kill all the rich people. Break up their cars and apartments. Bring the revolution home, Kill your parents." In a news article, Ayers said, "I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough." That article was published, by the way, on September 11, 2001.

Now who associates with people like this? I guarantee you, normal people do not seek fellowship with people who plant bombs in police stations.

And there's also the possibilty of two Supreme Court vacancies. Should we risk Obama appointing those replacements? Not if you don't mind another Ruth Bader Ginsburg. McCain may not be a slam dunk on judges either, but we can at least bend his ear when we disapprove, a'la Bush on Harriet Miers.

The specter of an Obama presidency may keep me voting GOP, but there is a more positive reason, and her name is Sarah Palin. She is the real deal. She is a true conservative, and a true reformer who didn't depend on the party apparatus to get to the top. In fact, she unseated a corrupt incumbent of her own party to win her post as Alaska Governor.

I'm no ingeune when it comes to McCain. I fully expect there will be times when I'll have strong disagreements with him. Oh how I do remember those. McCain-Feingold. The Gang of Seven. "Comprehensive Immigration Reform." No question, I'm going to have a few headaches with a McCain administration.

But I can live with that. I can't say the same about Obama.

And there's also the possibility that Governor Palin may head up the GOP when McCain steps down. And this opportunity is too good to pass up. I believe she is a conservative, and the GOP needs that leadership again. I don't know when we'll have this chance again.

Some will still insist on the third party option, and I wish them well. But frankly, having watched the third parties in motion this election year, I am not impressed. Bob Barr, the Libertarian, cashed in his social conservatism when he joined that party. He's no longer for the Defense of Marriage Act. Well, see ya, Bob. You've only proved you're one of many politicians whose views blow like the wind.

My opinion of the paleoconservative Constitution Party in particular has dropped into the cellar. The turning point for me was when they harshly rejected Alan Keyes in favor of Chuck Baldwin. Keyes, for those who don't know, is an articulate and passionate conservative, though occasionally abrasive and could use a bit more tact. Still, no one could deny he was the real deal. But the CP wanted no part of him. Why? He supports the Iraq War. For that, he was branded a warmonger by the CP's prior nominee, Howard Phillips, and lost the nomination. Instead, the CP nominated Pastor Chuck Baldwin. Now, I don't know how he runs his church; he may be a terrific pastor. But his political views are another matter entirely.

It's not all that easy to criticize the CP because I know people who think it's the way to go. But I cannot, and I doubt I could, ever recommend this party, or the man they've put up to be their candidate. He's written pieces that can only be described as paranoid or incendiary. He thinks the country will be merged with Canada and Mexico by 2012. He seems to think it's credible that the U.S. government-not Al Qaeda-could have been behind 9/11, which puts him in such luminous company as former Governor Jesse Ventura and actress Rosie O'Donnell. He certainly doesn't care for Bush. He's compared Bush to Hitler, even suggested that he may be the Antichrist. On his website, Chuck Baldwin has a page called "The Bush Record" where he posts links to stories that accuse the Bush family of taking illegal drugs (one of which is posted by Rolling Stone magazine, a real credible source of news...ahem), and he has posted a link to the Daily Kos, to a story suggesting that Bush's family financied Nazis. The Daily Kos, for those who don't know, is a fringe leftist website whose members regularly post hateful comments about conservatives, and in the case of the late Tony Snow, celebrated his death.

And this is supposed to be the real, true conservative in the race? With views like this, I wonder why Obama didn't pick him to be his running mate.

This may not be welcome news to Baldwin fans out there, but this, in a nutshell, is why conservatives have made the Constitution Party persona non grata. It indulges in conspiracy-mongering and paranoia, and has a myopic isolationist view of foreign policy. And it has no qualms about nominating a candidate who is giving credibility to slander. The Right would lose all credibility if it went down this road.

This isn't the road the Right should go down. Thankfully, I know it won't. Somewhere, there is a new generation of conservative leadership that will lead us out of the wilderness. It won't be found in the so-called "compassionate conservatism" of people like Mike Gerson, or the paleo-con isolationism of Ron Paul. It may be found with Governor Palin, or some members of Congress, or someone, somewhere in the fifty states, someone inspired by the values of great leaders of the past, by values that never go out of style, that are as old as the country itself.

So with that, I hope very much for a McCain victory, and then we move on to the ideological battles that lie ahead.

CSFF Blog Tour – Beyond the Reflection’s Edge

2008-10-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Remember the TV show Sliders? It was a show that came on Fox over a decade ago. It was about a guy who creates a machine in his basement that allows him to travel to different universes, all with a different planet Earth. On each planet, he could find where events in the past had changed, creating a different Earth. Sometimes he or his group would find alternate versions of themselves.

Bryan Davis' book series Beyond the Reflection's Edge has some similarities. It follows a group of teenagers that travel between three different Earths, all named by a particular color. Along the way, they discover alternate versions of themselves and their loved ones.

I had the opportunity to read this book, and it gets the G.O. thumbs up. It's a lot like his Dragons in Our Midst books in tone and style, with more mystery than outright fantasy. At first I wondered how the story would separate itself from Bryan's earlier work; as the pages went on, I saw the book establish an identity all its own. It had moments that you just say, "Hey, that was pretty cool." One of my favorite characters is Daryl, a girl who serves as the comic relief and frequently quotes from movies.

I love "alternate universe" stories, and this was no exception.

For more info, click on the links below, and have fun!

Bryan’s Web site: http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com/

Bryan’s blog: http://dragonsinourmidst.blogspot.com/

*Participants’ Links:
Brandon Barr
Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Courtney
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Kait
Mike Lynch
Magma
Terri Main
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Chawna Schroeder
Greg Slade
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespack
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

How to Fill in the Gaps

2008-09-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

Generally, I write my stories in pieces. Not so much now, since I went to outlining or writing synposes. But before, I tended to just write a scene, regardless of where it was in the story.

After a while, you can end up with a story with a bunch of holes. Kind of a "swiss cheese" story.

So I decided to go through the story and make a list of scenes that needed to be finished. Organization can be your friend! I've got about forty or so. Ugh. But I remember other stories I was working on that had about a hundred.

I'm trying to fill in some of those gaps right now. Sometimes it can be taxing, because you have to set your mind on a specific point in the story, and your brain might want to rebel. But sooner or later, something will inspire me, and I'll be able to flesh out the scene. I've had some good ideas this past week.

I know Bryan Davis of Dragons in our Midst fame just writes his tales out without an outline, just going from his head. I'm amazed at that, I think it's a lot harder than it looks. When I tried that, I would come to points where I would want to change something, and then have to go back two, three, or four chapters and start again, which helped to propogate my "swiss cheese" technique. My mind generally needs to explore my universe in order to come up with some things.

I'll write more on this soon.

September Christian SF/Fantasy Blog Tour: Marcher Lord Press

2008-09-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

Some people despair that the sci-fi/fantasy genre will gain acceptance in the Christian lit market. Admitedly, it seems like tilting at windmills at times. But there may be a partial answer to this dilemma.

Jeff Gerke, he of Where the Map Ends fame, has set up Marcher Lord Press, an independent publishing outfit that will go around the gatekeepers. Their mission is related on this page.

You can find a list of their upcoming books here.

Perhaps you'd like to submit one of your wares for the Marcher Lords to publish? Well, you'll have to read this page first.

I certainly hope Jeff's enterprise is a success. It can be frustrating to be a fantasy and science fiction fan trying to gain acceptance in the Christian community. At best, they think it's weird, at worst, they think it's evil. But we're creative folk, and we do love to go where the map ends (to use a pun). And hey, if people think we're weird, is that such a bad thing? :) I look forward to the fountains of imagination that will be welling up from Jeff's publishing outfit.

Here are the other blogs participating on the tour:

Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Courtney
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Kameron M. Franklin
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Kait
Mike Lynch
Terri Main
Margaret
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Greg Slade
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
Tina Kulesa
Jason Waguespack

Yes, I am Alive!

2008-09-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

Oh boy.

I can't believe it's been this long since I updated.

I really must change that.

Heh heh.

Anyway, hope I haven't kept you waiting too long...I've just been rather busy.

R.I.P. Charlton Heston

2008-04-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

There is only one Charlton Heston, and he has left us.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,346965,00.html

Heston was one of the greats, both on the silver screen and in championing American values like the right to own firearms. Few movie actors can occupy the space on screen as he did, and one wonders if there ever will be one again. He was king of historical and biblical epics, and before there was Arnie and Will Smith, Chuck was pioneering the science fiction genre in films like Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, and The Omega Man (the remake starring Will Smith, I am Legend, came out several months ago).

His kind is a rarity we'll probably not see again in stardom. In a Hollywood rife with scandalous and vulgar behavior, where traditional values are mocked and scorned, Heston is a light that only shines brighter even in death. His was a life of great character. He marched for civil rights alongside Martin Luther King Jr. He championed the rights of the unborn and of Americans to own firearms. And while many Hollywood stars discard spouses like old clothes, Heston remained faithfully married to a single woman from 1944 until he slipped the surely bonds of Earth to touch the face of God in April of 2008.

This is his parting speech from the NRA website in 2003:

http://www.nra.org/Speech.aspx?id=6030

“My life has been blessed with good fortune. I'm grateful that I was born in America, that cradle of freedom and opportunity, where a kid from the Michigan Northwoods can work hard and make something of his life. I'm grateful for the gift of the greatest words ever written, that let me share with you the infinite scope of the human experience. As an actor, I'm thankful that I've lived not one life, but many…Finally, I'm confident about the future of America. I believe in you. I know that the future of our country, our culture and our children is in good hands. I know you will continue to meet adversity with strength and resilience, as our ancestors did, and come through with flying colors - the ones on Old Glory.”

Rapturing out Christian sci-fi

2008-04-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here's something that struck me while reading Forensics and Faith today.

I think there conceivably could be a market for Fantasy & Science-Fiction (F&SF) in the CBA if publishers would make a massive marketing effort, including major marketing efforts into the secular F&SF marketplace. But it would be a horrendously chancy and expensive enterprise so, from the publishers' perspective, why take the risk?

Some authors, like Ted Dekker, Donita Paul, Kathryn Mackel, and Karen Hancock, have carved out niches for fantasy in the CBA (though the "fantasy" label is generally eschewed). But for the most part, the CBA is not a welcoming environment for F&SF—and for several nearly insurmountable reasons:

1. SF timelines don't seem to jibe with evangelical eschatology.

True science fiction transcends and shatters stereotypes. It is wide-open and unbounded. SF readily comes into conflict with many people's notions about Scripture, especially eschatology. If you believe (as most evangelicals do) that the Lord's return is imminent (within a decade or so), then stories about events in, say, the 26th Century wouldn't seem to "line up with Scripture."

For me, such objections are baseless. A good story is a good story, regardless of whether it fits some notion of "biblical correctness." Besides, I see no biblical reason to believe that the Second Coming couldn't commence right now—or 20,000 years from now.

This version of eschatology-the premillenial dispensationalist view-is so pervasive among Evangelicals, it's almost, well, Gospel, to use a pun. It's the big roadblock to Christian science fiction. Many Evangelical leaders are convinced that Christ's return is very soon, due to the re-establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. So setting a story in the 28th, the 23rd, the 22nd, or even the late 21st century is not only seen as folly, but going against what the Bible foretells.

I confess, I was once a premillenial dispensationalist, but that was because everyone around me, from my school, to the preachers on television, all preached a rapture, an Antichrist, a seven year period of Tribulation, the whole kit n' kaboodle. About a year ago, that changed big time, when I learned about how Jesus' Olivet Discourse and passages in Revelation actually lined up much better with events taking place up to 70 A.D, when Jerusalem fell to the Romans. This is called "partial preterism," which was widely believed for hundreds of years, but seems very strange, if not unknown, to Evangelicals today.

In any event, current views on the End Times make writing Christian science fiction very difficult. I myself am wrapping up a novel set in the 23rd century, and I'll be interested to see if its date causes it any problems.

Check out "Bezel333"

2008-02-24T21:17:00.000-08:00

Youtube is one fun site. You can find all kinds of cool stuff to watch. One day, about a few months ago, I came across a video from a guy giving his thoughts on Joel Osteen. As the weeks passed, I checked out his other videos. This man is a Christian who uses Youtube as a platform to speak his mind about what is true Christ-centered preaching and what is just giving good advice. And he adds nice touches to his videos, some neat special effects and clips from tv shows. I like going to his channel every now and then to see what he has, and it's never boring or uninteresting. It's also a lot better than some of the stuff some big money preachers have to say.

He goes by the screenname "bezel333." I'd recommend you check him out.

Desperate For the Different

2008-02-20T19:43:00.000-08:00

For the past two years, I've been working on a science fiction story. And up until recently, it's been going fine.

But even as I got real close to finishing this book....then it just collapsed in my face. This story just didn't feel right to me. It drove me a little crazy. What was going on here? I felt as if this story was missing something, something that made it for me worthwhile to work on. Not that I felt the story was bad in any way, but I think for some of us writers, we see the bookshelves, and we just scream not to be an imitator of the stuff that's there. Yes, we want to sell our work, but we want to write our hopes and dreams, not just rubber stamp another LOTR 3.0. We want to make our mark, to contribute something that is as unique as possible. And as artists, we want to express ourselves. For whatever reason, I looked at my story, and it bugged me.

So I went back to the original mood I was thinking about when I first came up with the idea, that of a kind of film noirish, mysterious tale. I realized my problem was that I let the cat out of the bag too soon. It wasn't quite as fun as it could be. Also, as I looked at the story, I realized I could express a premise that would end in a twist few would see coming than if I let the story go as intended. Before, we knew something pretty profound about the protagonist by the end of the first quarter, so we spend the rest of the story just trying to clarify what happened to him. But by reshuffling some scenes and revealing one key string of events while hiding some others, I could make the other event more of a surprise to the reader.

After my burst of inspiration, I picked up the axe and took my story to it. I removed about 13,000 words. I'm still revising it, but the end result is much closer to how I would have liked the story to turn out. As I write a story, sometimes it can wander off and become something else, which I like sometimes. But in this case, something inside me called out to halt this thing, to rethink what I wanted. Now I've got something that I feel more strongly about, and I think readers will like it more, too.

February CSFF Blog Tour: Chris Walley’s The Shadow and Night

2008-02-18T07:20:00.000-08:00

Christian science fiction. Just what is that? There aren't too many examples. Yeah, there's C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy, and Kathy Tyers' Firebird books, but still, who else has done this?

Chris Walley has.

Today marks the start of the blog tour for his latest book, The Shadow and Night. It's part of his Lambs Among the Stars series.

Here's the scoop from the inside flap:

Imagine a future that todays generation can only dream of. A trillion people live under the gentle rule of the Assembly on over a thousand Made Worlds. Peace and stability have reigned for nearly twelve thousand years, and war and evil are merely ancient history. But all that is about to change.

On Farholmea Made World at the edge of the Assemblystrange and troubling things are happening. Slowly, incredulously, a handful of men and women come to recognize the unthinkable: Evil has returned once more, and it must be fought. Forester Merral DAvanos and his friends are entrusted with the daunting task of confronting their worlds elusive enemy.

Now isolated from the rest of the Assembly, Farholme must fight its battles alone. It falls to Merral to lead the untried forces of Farholme into war against opponents well-hidden and armed with strange powers. Yet even as he faces extraordinary and terrifying foes, Merral finds he has an unexpected enemyhimself.

To get a copy, here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1414313276 .

You can also check out Chris on the web on his website:

http://www.chriswalley.net

Chris also has a blog, which I've visited for time to time (until my bookmarks folder got wiped out and I had to go find it again...arrrgh!). It's very good, check it out.

http://chriswalley.blogspot.com

And for the other blog participants...well here they are:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Rebecca Grabill
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Michael Heald
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Heather R. Hunt
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir’s Here
Pamela Morrisson
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespack
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

I'm Back...Again....

2008-02-12T19:12:00.000-08:00

ACHOO!

Oh, pardon moi. This blog sure gets dusty when you don't attend to it. *Sniff*

Wow, I can't believe I was away from my blog for this long. Do I know how to get distracted or what?

Anyway, I will make (for the upteeneth time) an effort to blog more regularly. Suffice to say, I've been mucho busy with work and school, and cleaning up my rooms. I even took a break from writing. But a burst of inspiration has hit me, and I'm incorporating it into my story. Looks like it'll make the story even better. I'll blog a little more on this later.

Things Aren't As Bad as They Seem

2007-11-29T12:14:00.000-08:00

I ran across this piece by Michael Medved, a conservative film critic. I've enjoyed reading his work for quite a while. He wrote an interesting piece that explores America's moral history. He points out, rather convincingly, that although we have much to bemoan in our culture, we are certainly not the first generation to observe such things, nor are we on a straight slide down to moral oblivion. This dovetails with my post on Thanksgiving.

You can read his full blog entry here.

EDIT: I decided I had posted an insanely long excerpt, so it's better you just go ahead and click the link if you have time to read it.

Now Here's a Funny Way to Kill Time...

2007-11-27T17:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, when your mind wanders after you've been busy, you just surf around to find something that catches your eye. The other day, I came open this little montage...of DIC logos!

You know, DIC!

Hmmmm...

The cartoon company?

The guys who made Inspector Gadget.

Ah! I see some hands out there.

Yeah, someone took the DIC logos over the years and pasted them into this montage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnhHnZfUzOo

I remember many of them because I used to watch a lot of their shows: Inspector Gadget, The Real Ghostbusters, Dennis the Menace, Heathcliff, Super Mario Bros. Ah, those are good memories...

And hey, if cartoons aren't your thing, here's a montage...of Paramount logos!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbA1o5cm_wU

Yeah, sometimes it's just fun to look at totally miscellaneous stuff like this. It may be silly, but sometimes we need silly.

CSFF Tour Day 1: Stephen Lawhead’s Scarlet

2007-11-26T08:58:00.000-08:00

Today I'm linking up with my fellow CSFF bloggers to promote Stephen Lawhead's new book Scarlet, which can be found here. Lawhead's official website can be found here.

Here's the synopsis from Lawhead's website:

Scarlet continues Stephen R. Lawhead's riveting saga that began with the novel Hood, which relocated the legend of Robin Hood to the Welsh countryside and its dark forests. Steeped in Celtic mythology and the political intrigue of medival Britain, Lawhead's trilogy conjures up an ancient past and holds a mirror to contemporary realities. Prepare for an epic tale that dares to shatter everything you thought you knew about Robin Hood.

Sounds neat, huh?

And be sure to visit other blog tour members on this list:

Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Karen McSpadden
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespack
Daniel I. Weaver
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

A Christian blogger's take on The Golden Compass.

2007-11-25T11:53:00.001-08:00

I came across this blog's interesting entry on the controversial forthcoming movie The Golden Compass. He's put forth some thoughtful questions that are worth looking at.

A Giving Thanks List

2007-11-23T13:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a neat list I came across from the website Redstate.com:

Giving Thanks This Day

The media often ignores good news, so today I'm thankful for the following good news:

1) Your plane is less likely to crash last year than any time in the past.

2) The number of young children who died last year fell under 10 million for the first time in recorded history.

3) Political violence is at an ebb with the end of the Cold War, wars for independence, and the 1990s civil wars slowly ending.

4) The number of people in absolutely poverty (less than $1/day) is at an all time low despite the booming population in the developing world.

5) Life expectancy is at an all time high (which is good despite putting a strain on our Social Security and Medicare systems)

Also, I'm happy to report that since the early 1990s in the United States, the country has improved a myriad of social indicators.

1) Crime has plummeted across the U.S. The days when "tough on crime" and the "war on drugs" were top issues in Presidential campaigns are over. This has taken away a major Republican issue, but more importantly it has made the country a safer place for all citizens.

2) Teenage drug use is down over the past 15 years with notably large drops in use of ecstasy and LSD.

3) The national welfare caseload is down 60% from the high water mark in 1994. At the same time, poverty rates, black poverty rates, hunger and childhood poverty rates have fallen.

4) Abortions are down from a peak of 1.6 million a year to a level close to 1973 when Roe was handed down.

5) Divorce rates have fallen to the lowest level since 1970.

6) Childhood pregnancy is down 35% from the 1991 peak.

7) Teen alcohol use is down, teen binge drinking is at an all time low, and teen daily smoking is at an all time low.

America is not perfect, but America is great. Among other things, I grateful for all the wonderful things that make up America. And I'm optimistic we can always make Her better.

That's cool, huh? Every now and then, it's nice to to see that the hourglass is half full and not always half empty. It's also a testament, I think, to the Godly people that have worked hard for decades to change hearts and right wrongs. And although we haven't fully removed the stink of abortion, divorce, drug use and teenage pregenancy, there is reason to take heart.

What does Wayne Batson like to say? Never alone!

Whose Gospel?

2007-11-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

First off, I got my new post on Spec Faith...which is from last week, actually. *Sigh* Keeping a regular blogging schedule is tough! I've been working on papers for my college courses for the past week.

Anyway, I was watching tv today. I watched a sermon by Brother Jonas, who had an interesting message. He argued that the church needed to focus on the head, Jesus Christ, and not on superstar pastors. He talked about the different scandals that rocked the church from men like Jimmy Swaggert and Jim Bakker. But even with those sordid events, Jesus remains the one who will not disappoint.

That was a profound message. I thought about some of the big names in Evangelical preaching today, specifically Joel Osteen and Rick Warren. They each have books out, big best sellers. Now, does anyone get the impression that their books are their own spin on the Gospel? Do we hear their voice in their work, over and above the word of the Gospel? I mean, should we have "celebrities" when it comes to pastors? I'm not talking about fantasy writers and the like, I mean pastors and preachers who do the job of preaching the Gospel. When I see news coverage of these gentlemen, I hear a lot about what "Joel is preaching" or what "Rick is doing." Joel's got his message of material wealth for those who believe in God. Rick's got his purpose-driven life message, whatever that is, I still don't know exactly what that's all about.

But does the Bible need "spins" on it? I think the fundamentals of Bible teaching revolve around the reconcilation of man to God through His son, Jesus Christ. All these other things are cluttering the church and diluting a pure message that is charged for teachers of the church to deliver, not give speeches on how to feel good or how to get a promotion or make money. We shouldn't treat preaching as anything other than what it should be.

CSFF Tour: Bark of the Bog Owl, book one of The Wilderking Trilogy, by Jonathan Rogers

2007-10-22T08:41:00.003-07:00

Now here's an interesting find. Writer Jonathan Rogers has written a book called Bark of the Bog Owl, originally released in 2004. A young shepherd boy receives a prophecy of the "Wilderking," which he is destined to fulfill. The story sounds much like the story of David and Goliath with some fantasy trappings. I haven't had a chance to read this book yet, so it's best for you to rely on everyone else's reviews. Wayne Batson seems to like it plenty.

By the way, I'm noticing Aidan is becoming a quasi-familiar name in our circle. Wayne Batson's teenage hero in The Door Within was also named Aidan. And I named one of my characters in my sci-fi story Adrian!

You can find the book here.

Also, Rogers has completed the remaining two books in the trilogy, easily found on Amazon.com.

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Merrie Destefano or Alien Dream
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Karen
Dawn King
Mike Lynch
Rachel Marks
Karen McSpadden
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Donna Swanson
Daniel I. Weaver
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

Kinda off topic, about Joel Osteen...

2007-10-19T19:08:00.001-07:00

Joel Osteen's one likable guy. I like him. It's hard not to. He's the friendliest guy you'll ever see.

He's also got a new book out. It's about how to make a better you. Hey, we all want to be better uss, right?

I've seen him preach on tv. He's a funny, warm guy. He makes everyone feel good.

But...

Yeah, I end up with that word a lot, "but..."

As much as I like Joel, I can't help but cough up that word, "but..."

Joel talks a lot about health, about getting ahead in life, about living the "abundant victory" Christians can live. Sometimes he talks about getting that office promotion or that new car, etc. That's usually when I bring out, "Yeah, but..." I don't recall the Bible talking about those things. Sure, God likes to bless His children...but...I wouldn't say I'm entitled to such things. I don't know whether God wants me to have a new car or not. But it's not important to me. Jesus Christ saved me from eternal separation from God. After that, I could live in a cardboard box in the wild for the rest of my life for all I care.

With all due respect to Joel, I don't think it's wise to claim such material blessings as entitlements. We, most of us, live in affluent suburban America, where we want for nothing. To take it further, you can live many places in Europe or Asia and live a good life, even if it's not up to our standard of living. But there are still millions of Christians living in poverty or under threat of death by oppressive regimes. Are they missing out on something? What's their "Best Life Now?"

I wonder if Joel should be a pastor at all. He referred to himself as a "life coach" in a recent 60 Minutes interview. Perhaps he should be a motivational speaker? Pastors should focus on preaching Christ's message. At least, people shouldn't rely solely on Joel for their spiritual teaching. I sometimes think Joel thinks that, too. He also mentioned that other people are more gifted at interpreting Bible verses than he is. Again, perhaps the post of pastor is too high a promotion for him?

I'll probably flip through his newest tome. I imagine I might find some of it enjoyable, though I'm sure I'll come up with a few, "But..."

I'm back....again!

2007-10-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. Where have I been?

Heh heh.

Sorry to zone out like this. I've been busy, and I haven't had a lot of thoughts to put on paper...um...pixel.

Anyway, I've been doing some work on Novel B, which is now a little over 103,000 words. Still doing the cut and trim on it, along with adding new scenes. It's something else. At least I have time to work on it. I shuttle over to Wayne's blog a lot. The poor man is racing like crazy to meet his deadline. Is his publisher trying to kill him? He needs 13,000-15,000 words in a week!

Then again, there's a sick part of me that wishes I had his problem. I don't have a publisher yet! :(

Then again again, there's the old saying, be careful what you wish for!

Cut and Trim

2007-09-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

I've really been putting the squeeze on Novel B the past few weeks. Just squeeze and squeeze and squeeze to get out every single word that I absolutely don't need. It's currently around 100,400 words tight now and I still need to add more scenes. But it's probably not much more.

Also, I'm still in the process of getting feedback on the first half of Novel A. I'm eager to see how that turns out.

I'm back...

2007-08-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

Sigh...it's been a busy summer, so busy that blogging on here has been almost impossible. But my work load is lessened, so I'm back on a more regular basis.

Unfortunately, I can't post my Spec Faith entries because I keep getting an error entry, even though I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I keep getting this, "Error Saving Entry: Value cannot be null. Parameter name: input" Now what does that mean? Arrrrgh!

Anyway, I'm stuck in a jam and need help if I'm going to be able to post there again.

Galactic Overlord Reviews "Enoch's Ghost."

2007-08-01T12:34:00.000-07:00

I posted a review of Bryan Davis' Enoch's Ghost right here.

Enjoy!

CSFF Blog Tour: Fearless by Robin Parrish

2007-07-25T16:58:00.001-07:00

Blogging isn't easy when you're holding a five-day a week summer job, so my contribution to this blog tour will be minor. Unfortunately, it got so bad I couldn't even finish my Spec Faith blog entry in time.

In any event, I'm intrigued by what I've heard about Robin Perrish. My local Barnes and Noble stocks his books in the religious section. It's also encouraging that he's born only six years before me, and he's an established writer now. Hope for me, perhaps? :D

Wayne Batson has a great page of factoids about Parrish. Click here.

For other participants in the tour, check here:

Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Merrie Destefano
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Russell Griffith
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Terri Main
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Lyn Perry
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver

Washington Post article on Freerepublic.com

2007-07-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post article on Wayne Thomas Batson and Christian fantasy has been posted up on Freerepublic.com.

For those who don't know, Freerepublic.com, home of the "Freepers," is a politically conservative forum where people of like mind post and ruminate over the issues of the day. I myself have been a member since early 2002. :)

Yours truly posted this, the second one down from the top on the thread:

I’ve exhanged a few emails with the writer mentioned in this article, Wayne Thomas Batson, author of The Door Within trilogy. The three other authors he’s touring with are Bryan Davis, Christopher Hopper, and Sharon Hinck, all who’ve written fantasy tales with a Christian influence. I haven’t read Hinck or Hopper yet, but Davis has written some exceptional stuff for teens and YAs.

Christian fantasy is certainly growing as a field. You’ll find some real gems in it now.

One of the responses to my post:

Thanks for your post, I will look into these for my teens. I am skeptical of most modern Christian literature, most I have encountered is very formulaic and not well written.

CC&E
12 posted on 07/19/2007 9:31:50 AM CDT by Calm_Cool_and_Elected (So many books, so little time!)

Here's another post I like:

New breed? Tolkein, Lewis et al have been around for a while.

Newsflash- Harry Potter, D&D, etc is a ripoff of something the Lord introduced long ago. Time for the pagans to catch up already.
5 posted on 07/19/2007 6:23:10 AM CDT by ovrtaxt (The FairTax and the North American Union are mutually exclusive.)

He's got a good point, actually.

Again, many congratulations to our friends who traveled throughout the East Coast sharing their work and the message of the Gospel. And Wayne will be on Fox and Friends tomorrow!

Hey, I'd better post that on the Freerepublic thread! I gotta tell them about it, too!

The Fantastic 4 Fantasy Fiction Tour

2007-07-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

For the CSFF tour of The Fantastic 4 Fantasy Fiction Tour, I'd thought I offer up my collection of links on two of the authors, Bryan Davis and Wayne Thomas Batson, that I've posted up on wikipedia this past year. I also went on a hero's quest across the internet, sword in hand and riding my galant steed, to uncover the mystical pages of the gallant scribes of....okay, I went on google and copied a bunch of links on Chris Hopper and Sharon Hinck. Sheesh, doesn't sound very heroic that way, huh? Anyway, since I had some time off of work, I was able to update my list o' links.

Read on, and you'll get a veritable fantasy author-a-poolza with dozens of links below! Read reviews about Bryan, Chris, Sharon and Wayne's books, or interviews with the authors themselves!

Bryan Davis:

Posts by Bryan on Spec Faith
The Official Dragons In Our Midst Website
Fantasy and the Heart of a Child by Bryan Davis
The Ultimate Youth Fantasy Adventure (DIOM Advertisment)
Interview with Bryan Davis - Christian Book Previews
Interview with Bryan Davis - Christian Book Previews with Dian Moore
Interview with Bryan Davis - The Sword Review
Interview with Bryan Davis
Interview with Bryan Davis
Interview with Bryan Davis, Author of the Dragons in Our Midst Fantasy Series
Bryan Davis Interview 7-7-04 - Christianbook.com
Chattin it Up with Bryan Davis
Dragons Storm the CBA Youth Best-Seller List
Faith Writers Magazine - Bryan Davis Interview and Circles of Seven Review
Circles of Seven by Bryan Davis (Review)
Tears of a Dragon, Book 4 in the Dragons in Our Midst series (Review)
In a creative rut of reactionism (Comments on DIOM)
A MonT-SteR correction (E-mail exchange with Bryan Davis)
Raising Dragons Review - Edenstar Books
Raising Dragons Review - Crosshome
The Candlestone Review
Circles of Seven Review - Wordsmithshoppe.com
The Write Brothers
Okay, I admit it...
Can Dragons Make Christian Fantasy Fly?
Young Readers and the Allure of Fantasy - Part I
Young Readers and the Allure of Fantasy - Part II
Good News -- Young Adult Fantasy With Faith Foundation
Author of Prequel 'Oracle' Visits
Book Review: Dragons in our Midst
Raising Dragons Review
Raising Dragons by Bryan Davis: Young Adult Fantasy for Everyone
Eye of the Oracle Review
Eye of the Oracle Review
Harry Potter, Move Aside: Christian Fantasy Has Arrived.
Top 10 Reasons Why Authors Who Are Public Speakers Have An Unfair Advantage In Promoting Their Books
Author Bryan Davis - Free Book
An Interview with Bryan Davis
Teens provide details to writer

Wayne Thomas Batson:

Posts by Wayne on Spec Faith
The Official Door Within Website
Wayne's Blog
Interview with Wayne Batson
Interview with Wayne Batson
Interview with Wayne Batson
Interview with Wayne Batson
Interview with Wayne Batson
Interview with Wayne Batson
Interview with Wayne Batson
Interview with Wayne Batson
Interview with Wayne Batson
Q & A with Wayne Batson
Links to Podcast with Wayne Batson
The Door Within Review
The Door Within Review
The Door Within Review
The Door Within Review
The Door Within Review
The Door Within Review
The Door Within Review
Rise of the Wyrm Lord Review
Rise of the Wyrm Lord Review
Rise of the Wyrm Lord Review
Rise of the Wyrm Lord Review
The Final Storm Review
The Final Storm Review
The Final Storm Review
The Door Within Trilogy Review
7 minute trailer for The Door Within Trilogy

Christopher Hopper

Christopher Hopper's Website
Interview with Christopher Hopper
The Power of Stories
Local Author Takes Readers to Another World
Touring for the Tour, Day 3
Rise of the Dibor Trailer
The Lion Vrie Book Trailer Episode 1
The Lion Vrie Book Trailer
Author Talk: Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper
Jennifer & Christopher Hopper Perform "Words Cannot Describe"

Sharon has a lot of links to reviews of her books and interviews on her blog here.

And of course, this is my interview with Sharon Hinck during the blog tour for her book, The Restorer.

By the way, if you're looking for whether the Fantastic Foursome are coming to a store near you, check websites like this Borders site. You may find the tour listed under "events."

And for other blogs participating in the tour, check out this list:

Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Russell Griffith
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Holly
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespack
Daniel I. Weaver

I Was on C-Span Today...

2007-07-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

...well, more like heard. I phoned in today's C-Span Book TV "In Depth" show, featuring political commentator and author Michael Barone, who is co-author of the Almanac of American Politics. I came on in the last hour, asking him about the change in northern suburban voters going from Republican to Democrat in recent years. My call was the one from Louisiana. The previous caller asked about the evolution of southern voters to the Republican Party, so my question bounced off hers nicely. In fact, in the first link above, they have the show available through a stream, but I don't know how long it'll last. You'll have to scroll almost to the very end if you're to find me.

It's off topic from the usual goings on on this blog, but I thought I'd let you know. At least, if you tune in, you'll be able to hear my voice. The subject may be very dry for some of you, or you may find it interesting. I got my masters in political science, so my head swims with this stuff.

I've also been working on "Novel B" and made some good progress, though not as much as I hoped because I had to service my computer this weekend. 4,641 words more since I last updated. Since I work on weekdays, I can't get as much done.

Watching Movies This Weekend

2007-06-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to the library yesterday and took out a pile of videotapes. I've found that the library has a lot of great old titles to choose from. Most of them are fantasy movies.

I finished watching Dreamchild today. The recap from IMDB reads (since I'm too lazy to type up a synposis): In 1932, Alice Liddell Hargreaves, age 80, travels to New York to attend a celebration of Lewis Carroll's centenary. Confused by American culture and unable to understand the huge popularity of the Alice books, Mrs. Hargreaves begins to remember details of the childhood events that led to the writing of the stories. Was shy Carroll actually in love with her?

Weird, huh?

I thought it was a good movie. Jim Henson created puppets for several of the characters from the Alice books that appear in fantasy sequences, like the Mad Hatter and the Mock Turtle, except he makes them grotesque and ugly. I'm not sure this would be a movie for children. They might find it slow going and Jim Henson's creations would frighten them.

The movie also brings up that ever-controversial question of whether Carroll was in love with Alice. No one seems to have a concrete answer. The movie hints at it strongly, having Carroll stammer around Alice and act almost wistful. (Ian Holm gives a good performance, BTW) I don't have the foggest. Perhaps she awakened some kind of longing in him, perhaps to be young again?

For those who don't know, Lewis Carroll is actually Reverend Charles Dodgson, which makes me wonder what his beliefs were. Was he a devout Christian? We don't hear his faith addressed very much. It was probably because he used a pen name and didn't write fantasy tales with overt or even subtle Christian themes. He was known for nonsense writing, including his famous "Jabberwocky."

Doing Some Trimming

2007-06-23T11:44:00.001-07:00

I've spent the past week working on "Novel B," but this time I've been subtracting words, not adding them. As you might know if you've been reading this blog, "Novel A" got so big that I probably will have to split it into two novels.

So for "Novel B" the order of the day is to trim, trim, trim. What don't I need? What slows down the story? So far it's worked very well. I cut 16,277 words from the story, about five chapters. Hopefully, that'll give me a lot of room to work with, as there are new scenes I need to write.

Men are from Middle Earth, Women are from Narnia?

2007-06-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

This blog tour has certainly sparked some interesting discussion (Check here, here, here, here, and here to see what I mean). In sum, there appears to be a gender divide on Mrs. Hinck's book. Women like it while men generally find fault with it, though some have voiced support as well.

This probably isn't a surprise. I think if you (as in the male species) heard the premise, "Soccer mom taken to an alternate universe," you'd probably think, "Huh? Um...yeah. That's...probably not for me." If we run through the gamut of fairy-tale/fantasy characters in similar fantasy stories, we get kids, teenagers, young adults, typically male, in or close to the first quarter of their lives, where they are just experiencing life challenges for the first time. That does tend to skew toward the male audience, particular younger males.

But as Sharon points out in my interview, we all continue to fight these battles in our lives. The challenges in life don't stop as one gets older. For us, when the prince goes off into the sunset with his princess, we just read "And they lived happily ever after." But Sharon takes us into the stage of life after that neat little sentence, and it brings some rewards and challenges as well. Things like first love, dealing with life and death for the first time, we're just not going to deal with that stuff here. Sharon has struck out to do a story about somebody who's traveled the road, who's raised children and lived what we consider the classic American dream, but has also borne the hardships that the years may bring, and must rely on her faith in God that has kept her going through all that. It's not an easy thing to write, I'm sure, and to make it relatable to readers who don't generally read fantasy, and harder still for readers who aren't mothers in their forties. But how great it is that she climbed that mountain, right? And how great it is that readers find her story rings true with their lives.

Sharon deserves a lot of credit for tackling a premise that, to my mind, hasn't been done before. I doubt I could do it. I hope that the critiques done of her novel are written with the intent to advise and build up, not tear down.

The Restorer Day Two: An Exclusive Interview With Sharon Hinck!

2007-06-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

Today, it's the moment you've all been waiting for. Yes, your favorite neighborhood Galactic Overlord (commonly known in everyday life as Jason) recently fired up his subspace radio to speak with the talented Sharon Hinck about her new fantasy book The Restorer.

And now, to the interview!

Jason: Hi Sharon! I’m happy you could take some time to chat with me. Congratulations on your book! This must be really exciting for you.

You’ve taken on a genre that leans more male than female, and you’ve really tried to craft a fantasy adventure that would appeal to women. It’s a neat twist. Before, it was usually kids or teenagers that got sent off to the fantasy realm, now Mom gets to go! How’s your book been received so far?

Sharon: Hi, Jason! Thanks for letting me visit and for your great questions.

I’ve had some very enthusiastic reader mail that has warmed my heart. Two particular kinds of comments have meant a lot to me. First, I’ve gotten a lot of notes from women readers who say, “I don’t usually read fantasy, but I LOVE this story.” That makes me glad, because I’ve always loved fantasy, and wished more of my friends would give it a try. Even more meaningful, I’ve received several letters from people going through some tough struggles who were ministered to by reading the book at this particular time. Themes and certain lines of dialogue resonated with them and encouraged them – or helped them feel understood. I find it amazing that God can know the specific hurt someone would be feeling on this week in time, and know they would find the book and read it, and have woven words of comfort into the story – without me knowing any of that wider picture at the time I wrote the scenes. I love how He can use the same story to meet people in different places of need.

Jason: What do you see as Susan’s major challenges in the story?

Sharon: Like many of us, Susan is ready to serve God in any way He calls her – as long as He explains Himself to her. LOL! She faces some extreme surprises and unusual battles—but I’d argue that many of us do, too. It may not involve a literal “other world” but we sometimes are hit with pain that we can’t find a good reason for – and we have a choice to pull away from God in disillusionment, or surrender more deeply and trust Him with the “not knowing.”

Jason: You’ve mentioned that Deborah’s story in the book of Judges influenced your novel. What else has influenced you in writing this story?

Sharon: I was interested in the concept of voices influencing us in ways we don’t realize. The whole marketing industry (my apologies to my dear friends who do marketing) - whose task – at some level – is to make us discontent so that we “need” what is being sold. The “inner tapes” psychologists point to that take hold and shape our view of the world. Various media clamor that is so relentless. I looked for a way to personify some of that.

Jason: This whole theme of somebody or a group of somebodys getting pulled from our own Earth to a fantastical world has been used so much. Especially since C.S. Lewis’ time, Christian authors have used it to illustrate themes from the Bible in allegorical ways. Why do you think we keep getting drawn to this story?

Sharon: Maybe because we all relate, at a deep level, with being “pilgrims in a strange land.” Stories where people have to adapt and survive and complete a difficult quest in a world that is not where they belong, is very much the story of all of us. We are exiles on a sin-sick world, seeking to bring light and grace and truth until the time that we are back where we belong – in new bodies, freed forever from our sinful nature, in the world where God will wipe away every tear, where we’ll need no lamp or sun because Christ will be our light.

Jason: Some Christians are opposed to fantasy, thinking we can’t integrate our Christian faith with this genre. Did you find it a challenge to write this story in a Christian context, or was it easy?

Sharon: Writing is a challenge no matter what. But I really fell in love with these characters and enjoyed watching their story unfold. And writing from a Christian context is the only way I know to write – since I can’t really see any element of life without seeing God’s hand at work, or asking Him my hard questions. As far as Christians having problems with fantasy, different people in the Body respond better to different kinds of artistic expression.

Jason: The list of Christian fantasy titles continues to grow. Do you think the Christian fantasy market will continue to expand, perhaps gaining more widespread acceptance? (Many of us aspiring writers are hoping so! :) )

Sharon: When I try to analyze the “market” I end up with a migraine. Trends and niches and projections and numbers. Way out of my league to speculate. When I think about Christ-followers writing amazing stories in a variety of new and exciting ways – I feel like dancing a jig. That is happening and will continue to happen. And can I share my theory? Keep in mind that our time on planet earth is relatively miniscule – and we’ll be spending much more time in the eternity of heaven. Well, I think that in heaven, we’ll be sharing our art with each other and God. Those stories that might not find a publisher here, those books that languish in obscurity, those beautiful earnest songs written in a lonely room that no one else has heard, the sculptures that people walked past unseeing . . . in heaven we’ll have time to celebrate the arts in all their fullness. So even IF many Christian artists never find the widespread acceptance you’re asking about in our current culture – it’s NOT WASTED. It’s all great practice for the wonderful Wedding Feast to come.

Jason: Thanks for your time, Sharon! I wish you many blessings on your fantasy tour and for the people you meet.

Sharon: Thanks, Jason!

And of course, to read other blogs on this tour, just check out the links below:

Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Russell Griffith
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Holly
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver

The Restorer - Day One

2007-06-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

Today we kick off the CSFF blog tour, taking a look at Sharon Hinck's new book The Restorer. It's a fantasy story with a unique twist. This time, a soccer mom finds herself pulled into an alternate world.

You can read a couple of Sharon Hinck's interviews about her book here and here.

Tommorrow, I'll post an exclusive interview with Sharon Hinck. Stay tuned!

Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Russell Griffith
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Holly
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver

Frodo and the Ring

2007-06-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

That's the subject of my Spec Faith blog post:

Click here to read.

Here I discuss the controversial ending of Frodo and the outcome of his quest to destroy the ring. Some object to it, believing Frodo makes the wrong decision. I do think Tolkien's ending is the more powerful one, for reasons I explain in the link.

The Overlord now posts every Tuesday on Spec Faith

2007-06-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

Yep, read the headline, it says it all. :)

I'm also putting in a little work on "Novel B" which is the revised version of my novel The World of Rigel Chase: Legend of the Shaper. I haven't felt the urge to work on it, but after five months pounding away on "Novel A," I felt Rigel and friends calling me back. I'm excited about this new version and I hope I have it finished in a few months.

If you're wondering what Rigel Chase is about, it's a fantasy story about a kid who finds himself in an alternate universe where his dreams can become real. It's the same premise for my existing novel and my revising-work-in-progress.

I've Been Reading

2007-06-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

So what has yours truly been reading lately?

Well, I got in some time on Ted Dekker's Black, though it's been a long while since I've been reading it, so the details of the story don't rise to my head so quickly. Most of my time has centered on Rise of the Wyrm Lord. I'm at the point where Antoinette and the band of travelers have decided to go into the Blackwood as their quickest path around the evil Paragor and his escort. Apparently this forest is spooky stuff, because even their unicorns won't venture into the forest with them.

I must say, I like Antoinette. She has a nice spunkiness about her. I also like how Wayne Batson puts various challenges in front of her, like the test in the room with the big snake and the scroll and the sword, and her sword training scene. You don't see a whole lot of stand-alone heroines in fantasy, but they are becoming more frequent.

The Need for Perspective

2007-06-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, this behemoth in my harddrive has broken 180,000, I'm sure. I'm refering to "Novel A" of course...heh heh.

As you may have noticed, I've broken the Novel A word count into two parts. A draft of the first part is done, so I'm working on the second part now. If I do have to pitch these as two seperate novels, it'll be very interesting. The first half has a kind of mystery, film noirish appeal, while the second is like a James Cameron film crossed with big robot anime.

Getting feedback on these two parts will be very important. I need to know how this story goes over with an audience. I think you can get sucked into your own universe for so long, you can lose perspective. You won't pick out errors that will be obvious to everyone else. You may not fully explain things that are clear to you, but not the reader.

Splitting it into two?

2007-05-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

Phew! I sure spent a lot of time during the Memorial Day Weekend polishing this thing. It's gotten so big that I'm wondering if I should cut this novel into two smaller ones. I'm not sure publishers may look well on a big novel from a relative unknown author. Given the focus on having authors put out series of books, having two books ready may prove attractive.

So, I split my story into two parts. The first half stands at 98,813 words, which really would be enough to make its own novel. The second half is 77,691 words long, but it needs to be polished, so the word count is certain to go up. I'll find out in the weeks ahead whether this is a good idea.

CSFF Blog Tour: The Sword Review

2007-05-21T06:06:00.000-07:00

For Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week, the CSFF Blog Tour focuses on The Sword Review . This is a neat web-zine that focuses on science fiction and fantasy. I first found this site about a year ago when I found an interview with Bryan Davis about his Dragons in our Midst series. With its contests, great artwork and sci-fi/fantasy short stories, what more could you ask for?

They also review fantasy books, such as Wayne Thomas Batson's The Door Within. Check it out here. Want to read an interview with the author himself? The Sword Review does that as well. Check out Batson's interview with them here. There are more reviews and interviews on the site that you'll want to look at. And after that, stop by the forums, they're great, too.

For your viewing pleasure, check out other blogs on the tour:

Jim Black
Brandon Barr
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
April Erwin
Kameron M. Franklin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Russell Griffith
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Heather R. Hunt
Holly
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium
Terri Main
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver

Almost Done

2007-05-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

I've been working on "Novel A" the past few days, but that word meter hasn't gone up any. Much of my work has been removing scenes and replacing them with new ones. There's only one more scene that I have to rewrite and two more I have to finish, and that should complete all the heavy work in the story. Much of what's left in the novel after that is just polishes, odds and ends, a sentence or two.

I'll have a chance to rest and let the story sit for a while. What I will need pretty soon is some feedback on my story. Then, I'll know whether or not my crazy little vision here is going to work.

Short and Sweet

2007-05-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

Net gain of 1,383 words today. Making good time, as they say.

Since I have work tomorrow, chances are slim I'll make any great strides, but I'm very close to completing my first draft of this story, so it should be fine.

170,000!

2007-05-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

I broke 170,000 words today. Yahoo! A net gain of 1,245 words today.
I mentioned last time I had to write a chase scene, so I wrote out a small synposis of it. But then it struck me that the scene read long and convoluted, so I wrote out a much smaller scene that really wasn't a chase at all, just a small connecting scene between the end of one scene and the beginning of another. I think I felt this way because much of the latter part of the book is filled with action, and I don't need to add in more action sequences in the first third. Another word for those who want to go into this field: pacing!

I also filled in a lot more of an incomplete action sequence. Not finished yet, though. May take two more go arounds with that before it's done.

Finally, I read Rebecca's post on Spec Faith here. That's a good idea. I think I'd like to enter "Novel A" into such a contest. She also talked about the topic here.

Finishing a Scene

2007-05-13T16:00:00.001-07:00

I made some good progress today. I turned out about 2,600 words. That's not fully reflected in the word count, because I cut a little over 1,000 words from the story, so the net gain isn't as big.

I had completed a scene that I had left unfinished for a long while and didn't know how to finish. The scene as I originally intended was more complicated than I would have liked. It involved a smuggler escaping a makeshift hospital, killing another criminal, stealing his vehicle and making his way to a secret weapons storehouse, where eventually he will flee a police pursuit. But none of that was important to the story, and the smuggler wouldn't be featured for more than a chapter or two anyway. So everything went out, except the smuggler's escape and the police. I replaced it with a mostly dialogue scene on the street, with a little action, but none of the complicated bruhaha of the weapons cache and all that stuff.

That doesn't leave me with much more to do. The ending needs work, and I still need one chase sequence and one battle scene. There's another scene that will be completely rewritten. Probably some polishing here and there, too. So the finish line is defintely in sight, and I'm making a run for it.

Moving Along

2007-05-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

Got another 1,000+ words out today. I wrote up a really good ender to a scene that still remains incomplete. But now I know the scene will have some great emotional impact, and it goes along well with my main character's arc.

I think this must be the worst phase of the writing process because I know I'm very close to finishing, and yet I can't say for certain when I will be done. Could be a week. Could be two weeks. Could be another month. It's almost like having spiders crawl all over you. I've begun my "second wind" at this since January, so I'm been charging along for about five months now. I thought I'd be further along by now, but then again I didn't think the story would get this big.

So for those of you who want to join this field, the key word is perserverence!

Still, it is a lot of fun doing it. I'm jazzed about having readers finally able to look at it and get their reaction, and that will be the best part.

Back to Work

2007-05-11T20:07:00.000-07:00

At last! I'm done with my exam. Turned it in, el finito.

I came home exhausted to the point of dizziness, but I rested up and was able to return to duty. Between then and now, I've done 1,196 words, bringing the total up to 166,627. It may go higher before the night is out, but I am tired and probably won't make much more.

Busy Week, and an Announcement

2007-05-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

You'll notice my word count hasn't gone up any. That's because I've been working on my exam for my statistics class all week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I've been at the university, putting long hours on the computer, for five to six hours straight. My exam word file is now 26 pages long. And it'll be the same way tommorrow, except my exam is due at 3pm, so I know the madness will end.

On the brighter side, this blog has been accepted into the Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog Tour. So hopefully, this blog will see some additional action in covering the latest titles in the world of Christian speculative fiction.

Since I Got Asked...

2007-05-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Amy from one of my previous posts just asked me, "How do you decide what ideas to run with as opposed to ones that are somewhat fleeting and don't deserve your time?"

Well, in most cases, I come up with an idea and write it down. Then, after a period of time, and it could be days, weeks, or months, I may one day discover that the idea doesn't work and I set it aside. I think if I can get the idea to "sit" for a while, it helps me gain perspective on it.

Lately, I've taken to writing synposes or "treatments" as the film industry says. I'll just write out my story, or most of it, in a narrative form without going through all the dialogue, the beats, etc, although I will write some dialogue if it comes to me. That helps me to speed through it, see how my ideas work, and whether or not I should change something without writing it all out in story form and going back and doing it over again. I think any time you can exercise an idea, it helps.

Also, when you've set the context of your story, it helps. When I figured that "Novel A" was going to be set in 23rd Century Earth, with no aliens, in a place that actually resembled our time with a lot of futuristic modifications, all that set the guidelines for my story. The ideas I would come up with had to make sense in that story's context, so you don't come up with something that's out of kilter.

If an idea isn't worth my time, I'll know it. It'll usually bore me, or strike me as silly, or I'll be like, "Naah, that'll work better somewhere else." Sometimes it helps to work on a few stories at once. That way, it might strike you that an idea that you included for one story would work better in another. That's happened to me a lot.

I wouldn't worry about writing the story out right away. Just do a few sentences, or a paragraph, or a page or two, exploring the idea. That'll get the grey matter working. It's worked for me when I needed it in a pinch.

Tagged

2007-05-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, I just got tagged, so here's the drill:

Rules of the game:
1.Post the rules of the game.
2.Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3.People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things
4.At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5.Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Facts:

1. As I write this, I'm listening to Paul Engemann's "Push it to the Limit."
2. One of my favorite fantasy movies is "The Neverending Story."
3. I am 25 years old.
4. My favorite songs have included ELO's "Evil Woman," CCR's "Bad Moon Rising," Grand Funk Railroad's "The Locomotion" and Scorpion's "Rock you like a Hurricane."
5. I have never chewed a piece of gum in my life.
6. I have only owned one vehicle so far.
7. I am single. Very single. LOL...always have been.
8. I have seen each Harry Potter movie only once.

And who to tag? Hmmmm... Well, the pickings are very, very slim, since just about everyone else has been tagged, including everyone I know in the blogsphere, so I could only come up with:

http://hannaslifeiscool.blogspot.com/

Sorry, but that's all I could come up with. This has been a very, very busy week, so I can't hunt around the blogsphere looking for another victim...um...participant.

4,421 words

2007-05-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

4,421. That's about how much I did today. I might be too tired to crack 5,000 tonight, but wow, I was on a hot streak today.

I was able to complete a few key action scenes that had been hanging out there for a long while. I also finished up one of the big flashbacks. Plus I introduced my new character. I'm really pleased how he came out, he really added to the unique flavor of the story. I'd say there's three major sections of the story left to do, plus the ending, and a few smaller gaps to fill, but other than that, I'm in the home stretch here. It's just amazing to think that I've written about 118,000 words in this story in just four months. That's about the length of Bryan Davis' Tears of a Dragon. Commitment, friends!

I also read some more of Rise of the Wyrm Lord. It's a hard book to pull yourself away from. He must be one of the top five talented authors I'll find in my local Christian bookstore. I really like his heroine, Antoinette Reed.

Good day today

2007-05-05T21:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a bust thanks to a heavy rainstorm. Can't work on the computer with all the lightning outside, plus I didn't sleep too well. *Sigh*

But today turned out to be pretty good. I got 3,000 words done. Interestingly, I was convinced I had reached burnout at the computer, and figured I'd have to daydream up something away from the terminal. But it turned out to be the other way around. I was stumped until I came back here, and I was able to complete an important scene with no trouble at all. The proverbial light bulb just snapped on. I had been thinking that I needed to have my main character whip out a technical solution to the dilemma he was faced with. Trouble is, he's done that about several more times at key moments in the plot, and I didn't *really* need another one. My creative juices took me to another place, and I'm very happy with the result.

Here's another fun idea I'm contemplating. "Novel A" revolves around a mystery, a big mystery, that the main character must uncover. So I'm giving him clues in unexpected and, I think, funny ways. I'm thinking of introducing a new character, an underground radio talk show host. He'll be in the mold of radio host Art Bell, a midnight talk show host with a taste for the strange and unexplained. My new friend, who still lacks a name, will provide help in moving along the story at two or three key moments. You see, he'll be stumbling onto the truth of this mystery, even if he hasn't quite hooked onto it; we'll have other characters that are closer to it than he is. I'll muse it over a little. I think it'll work, and it'll be fun besides.

Finally, I picked up a copy of Wayne Thomas Batson's Rise of the Wyrm Lord. I've already gotten up to page thirty (I think, I can't remember exactly). Great stuff. I really enjoyed The Door Within and I'd love to see how his trilogy plays out.

Flashbacks

2007-05-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

I was AWOL Monday and Tuesday from writing due to college obligations. Wednesday, I was too exhausted to do more than about 400 words. I wasn't too happy with that. I wish I could do 2,000 words a day all the time, but life has a way of pulling you away and making you its slave for a while.

Today is turning out well. I've done close to 2,000 words today so far, and it seems the creative juices are flowing again. Today I'm working on a flashback scene in "Novel A." There are quite a few flashbacks in this novel, which makes writing somewhat of a challenge, but it also adds some fun. I've never done a story that jumps this extensively between two time periods.

The flashbacks take place in a different point in time, in a different environment from the main storyline. The main character in the flashbacks is quite a contrast from the main character in the present time. As such, I've found myself writing more and more scenes in the flashbacks to develop his character. It'll be important for us to get to know him, especially considering the dramatic context of the book. Now what is that context? Nope, can't say. There need to be some surprises. :)

Also, I decided to edit out a small action sequence yesterday. It wasn't necessary, and it pulled the focus away from my main character.

Action Reaction

2007-04-29T12:27:00.001-07:00

I did say my final result might be short of 160,000 words. Now I'm thinking it may be just north of that. I can't wait to see where I end up. I'll only have been wrong for the fortieth time by now...LOL.

Many of the last few scenes left to be written are action scenes. One of my heroes rides a heavy crusier motorcycle, and some scenes feature car chases. Since this is the future, there will be some neat twists I can pull on the standard car chase, but I still haven't felt the urge to sit down and write them out. I don't know why I'm feeling so reluctant to do them. I know I will eventually, but these have been lagging for months now.

It may go back to something I've thought about for some time: A book is not a movie. Jerry Bruckheimer movies wouldn't play well on the printed page. I just need to get my characters from point A to point B. In one scene, my heroes drive through a flood canal and they need to end up at a pumping station. Well, I haven't written that connecting piece between the canal and the pump yet. I need the urge, but it won't come, at least not yet.

I just need to think these things through. I guess it's also because I'm keeping a close eye on the action quotient in the book. There's quite a lot. Too much of it will become numbing after a while. I've already choppped one major action piece because I felt it wasn't necessary.

There's another action piece that involves rioting cyborgs breaking into a building, and our heroes fight them off. This one will take some more thought, since it's not as simple as a car chase. I want to reveal some of my main character's, well, character here. There'll be some cool gadgets and stuff in this scene, which I need to think about.

Slowing Down

2007-04-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

I didn't get too far today. I was busy with statistics homework...oh joy. I think I only got about 500 words. Yeah, sometimes after these 3,000-4,000 word sprints, I slow down the next day and don't get much done, or anything.

I'd say I have about two more sections, besides the one I'm working on, in Novel A that need to be done or rewritten. Everything else just needs to be polished or added to. I imagine the final result may be just short of 160,000 words...but then again I thought it would be around 120,000. LOL. I shouldn't try and make predictions on novel length, I never hit the mark.

Breaking the Logjam

2007-04-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

Ever run into writer's block? You want to write a scene, but you just can't?

Today I broke a pretty significant logjam, and it really helped Novel A. I wasn't satisified with a particular segment of the story, but I couldn't come up with a good subsitute or a good modification.

So instead, I just sat down and wrote out a short synposis. I let myself go. Just kept developing the scenes in synopsis form, without dialogue or big descriptions. I came up with about two or three pages, and the end result was really great. I ended up belting out about 4,000 words today.

To give you an idea of how long I've been doing this, I worked on this for a while and then took a break after I got to 48,000 words, then I started back up, and kept writing up to now without much of a break. Phew!

Galactic Overlord Reviews "The Ezekiel Option"

2007-04-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest piece for Speculative Faith, a review of the Joel C. Rosenberg thriller The Ezekiel Option: here.

By the way, Joel blogs, too!

Joelrosenberg.blogspot.com

He has a sizable audience, his posts get north of 200.

"Novel A" nearing completion...hopefully

2007-04-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

Phew! Well, "Novel A" is now the longest novel I've ever written, surpassing my Rigel Chase book in the right hand corner.

As much as I like writing, I look forward to the time when I can have others read it. There's nothing like having others enjoy your work.

Okay, I suppose you're wondering what "Novel A" is.

Well, it's a science fiction novel set in the future. No aliens, though. This story is earth-bound. It's filled with cool technology, intriguing characters, and a journey into the human soul. This is my effort to write something for the CBA market.

I wonder if it's something that a CBA publisher would accept, though. I figured since Ted Dekker and Wayne Thomas Batson have made it to the bookshelves, than my humble effort ought to have a chance. But it's not like 99% of the CBA fiction that's out there. No prairie fiction. No romance. This may be part of the 0.0000000001% of the CBA market that tries to go after male (boys, teens, young adult) readers rather than the suburban mom demographic. I wanted to get rid of the Hallmark Channel-esque brand of Christian storytelling. In fact, I prefer to look at it as a good story that addresses Christianity in an interesting and involving way.

I must be nuts, right?

But I love the story and want to do it. I can do nothing else. And besides, if I had no mountain to climb, the victory wouldn't taste as sweet.

I'm just hoping there's a wave of speculative fiction that I will catch with this story. I think it'd have a great impact.

Now all I need to do is finish this thing...

"TBD"

2007-04-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

"TBD."

Just what is "TBD?"

What mysterious meaning do these letters contain?

What possible significance does this little phrase hold?

Well, to put it simply, it means "To be determined."

It's also a writing buddy. It's a placeholder. When I find myself on a roll, especially when I'm working on my SF "Novel A," I might need to name a person, a place, or an object, yet I just can't summon a name from my grey matter. So I just slap "tbd" in place and come back to it. With Novel A, I've had to do this quite a lot, since it takes place in the 23rd Century. I've done this especially with passages that require me to come up with a futuristic tool. But sometimes I just don't feel like brainstorming one, or I may be on a writing roll and can't slow the momentum.

One time I actually wrote: "Tbd," tbd said.

No joke.

I knew I had to have an underling report something, but I didn't know exactly what he (or she) would say, or who the person exactly was. But I knew enough to keep on going with the dialogue as a whole, so I left it behind and kept going.

Tbd isn't the only placeholder I've used. Sometimes I use: "(describes)" I do this when I know I need a description, but can't come up with one to my satisfaction. So I just drop it in and keep going.

In some cases I'll even put a very short sentence in the parenthesis, something that says what is supposed to happen in the scene. But if I don't have the inspiration to flesh out the scene entirely, I'll just skip over it and keep going. Momentum is key. Losing it could make progress on the story sluggish.

Besides, I've find the right inspiration striking me at times, and I'm able to go back and fill in the scene better than I could have at the time.

Of course, it can be a pain if too many TBDs pile up...

*Returns to brainstorming*

Welcome!

2007-04-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

This is post numero uno for my new blog.

I'm still working on the place, so I thought I'd roll out the welcome mat if you're happening by.

I am your friendly neighborhood Galactic Overlord, he whose bookshelves are lined with Star Trek, Buck Rogers, Battlestar Galactica, SeaQuest, Babylon 5, Space: Above and Beyond, Sliders, Highlander.

The links below go to some great writer's blogs, those who are the pioneers in the emerging realm of Christian-oriented fantasy.

This blog is not one of those!!!

Just kidding, sorta.

My realm is squarely in science fiction. Tolkien and Lewis aren't my muses so much as Captain Kirk, Captain Buck Rogers, Captain Apollo, et al. I do enjoy fantasy, though. I'm a later comer to that, but I've got my favorites in the genre. I also self-published a story that you can find in the right hand column in this blog. I am currently working on a science fiction "project" that hopefully will find a good publisher.

But until then, you get to hear me tell you about my adventures in writing.

Until then, "Live long and prosper."