Newsletter 2007-November

Greetings. Today I opened my email and had forty-eight notes. Granted, not all required my attention, but I’m learning something I had not foreseen—the longer I work as a writer, the less time I have to write, especially newsy updates I wish I could send out personally. Here’s my next best effort, designed to bring you up to date on what I’m involved in professionally.

Writing. I’m back to work on The Lore of Efrathah. After the Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference and after finishing the rough draft of book three, Battle for Revín, I revised book one, Return to Efrathah and edited book two, Journey to Mithlimar. Now I’m working on the first revision of Revín.

Publication. I’m on the hunt for an agent. This seems the next step God is directing me to take. I have a list of agents from The Christian Writers’ Market Guide, and I’m developing a plan to query those open to new, unpublished authors who write fantasy from a Christian worldview.

Meanwhile, I continue to write for the Whittier Daily News. I also accepted an assignment for an article with Victorian Homes Magazine, which is due out in December.

The short story I sold to the online web-zine, The Sword Review, came out in Issue 28. If you wish, you may read it on-line here.

Contests. It’s that time again. I’m working on a 1500 word story to enter in the Writers Digest Short Short Story contest (no, I didn’t accidentally type “Short” twice. That’s what it’s called—to differentiate from the genre short story contest, I suppose).

From the other side of the table, I launched a contest on my blog. This is designed to encourage readers to tell bookstore managers about the fantasy titles they would like to see on shelves. See Fantasy Challenge II for the rules and list of prizes.

Editing. After taking a break from editing since last December, I’ve accepted a few more projects. One is an editorial review for an unpublished author, another is pending, and a third is the substantive and line-by-line edits for a juvenile fantasy for AMG Publishing.

Blog Tours. The Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour, over ninety members strong, just completed tours for Austin Boyd, former astronaut candidate and author of the Mars Hill Classified series; Jonathan Rogers, author of The Wilderking Trilogy; then in November we will feature Stephen Lawhead’s Scarlet.

And yes, from time to time I participate in the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance tours. In October we highlighted Brandilyn Collins’s Crimson Eve.

Latest In Spec Classifieds. Our fledgling project, aiming to provide a one-stop information source for those interested in Christian speculative fiction, is going strong. We have seen an increase in subscriptions (it’s free and you can read it at Latest In Spec, but if you subscribe, it is sent to you via email), and we’ve added a section for Favorite Bookstores. I anticipate this being an important element to help connect our genre with book sellers.

Speaking. In November I’m speaking at the Association of Christian Schools International teachers’ convention in Anaheim, California. Last year I added a fantasy seminar which I’ll be teaching again. The title is “Fantasy—From Narnia to Harry Potter—Does It Belong?” I have all kinds of books and posters and tote bags and bookmarks to give away because a number of my fellow writers are donating the items. One thing I provide is a bibliography so teachers and librarians can add some of the best Christian fantasy to their reading lists.

Blogging. I may or may not have mentioned that I blog as part of a team at Speculative Faith. We write whatever we wish to about our genre. My blogging day is Monday, and I’ll write reviews, interviews, publishing news, thoughts on craft, or whatever else I’ve been thinking about.

Of course my own blog, A Christian Worldview of Fiction, keeps me busy five days a week.

Wrap Up. In October I had the opportunity to attend a small local writers’ conference, always helpful. I’m looking forward to attending the Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference in the spring.

Thanks so much for your interest in my work. If God brings any of these activities to mind, I would so appreciate your prayer.

Becky