A Tour and a Compass

I’m combining today’s CFBA blog tour for fantasy author Jeffrey Overstreet’s debut novel Auralia’s Colors (see Speculative Faith for my review of the book) and thoughts about the soon-to-be-released movie, The Golden Compass.

You may wonder what the two have in common, since Philip Pullman, author of the series from which The Golden Compass comes, has take a clear, vociferous, and repeated stand against Christianity, and in particular Christian fantasy.

Overstreet, on the other hand, proudly claims C. S. Lewis as one of his inspirations, though his ideas about theme seem to differ considerably from Lewis. (But I’ll save that discussion for another time).

In a lengthy, well thought-out post, Overstreet has tackled a number of questions he’s confronted in his roles as a film critic and a fantasy novelist. I found his comments to be insightful, reasoned, and balanced, something long overdue, in my opinion, to that which contradicts a Christian’s beliefs.

Here’s a taste of what he has to say:

And, for a lot of people, whether we like it or not, the church represents fear, power, and condemnation.

The best way to make Philip Pullman’s stories look like gospel truth is to respond by acting like the villainous Christians in his stories.

The best way to expose Pullman’s lie is to respond like Christ himself: With grace and truth, not hysteria and condemnation.

If we respond with wrath, condemnation, and protest, we play right into Pullman’s naive caricature of Christianity. I’m not saying we shouldn’t point out where he is wrong. His story is deeply flawed, and his religious bigotry is shameful. We should not ignore that. But we also should not ignore the excellence of his artistry. And should speak the truth in love, as Christ commands us. We should respond with truth and grace.

For me, that quote is well worth the price of admission, but Overstreet goes on to compare a bit, the maelstrom that surrounded the Harry Potter books and the near silence about His Dark Materials:

Don’t you find it interesting that there has hardly been a whisper about these books amongst Christians in the last decade, but as soon as the movie starts getting promoted, suddenly there’s a panic? Kids have been reading these books since 1995, and Christian protesters are acting like they’ve only just arrived. What does this show us about the state of Christian engagement with the arts? Pullman’s trilogy has been making the news and winning prestigious literary awards for quite a while.

In the end, I think Jeffrey Overstreet has done what I’ve called Christians to do in reaction to these books. From Fantasy Friday the Second:

Let’s do better. Let’s write better, publish smarter, promote creatively. And if we do, the Philip Pullmans will be relegated to answering our work and not the other way around.

Clearly, Auralia’s Colors is the kind of book that is already getting attention for its quality of writing. Good.

The most disturbing part of The Golden Compass, in my opinion, is the advertisement that this is a tale of good versus evil. As Pullman writes it, the church, god, Christianity are the evil from which good—enlightenment—must save the world.

That position will stand unless we Christians write the stories to show the truth about good and about evil. If we vacate the fantasy field, we miss a pregnant opportunity.

If you’re interested in knowing more about The Golden Compass, another insightful source is Jim Hutson’s article at Culture Defense.

Some of This, a Little of That

So I’ve been catching up on blog posts I wasn’t reading this week because I was touring CSFF participants’ sites instead. Lots going on, but nothing that really stuck as something I HAVE to post on my blog.

For writers, Chip MacGregor has a post about agents and proposals. President and CEO of Thomas Nelson, Michael Hyatt, posted a list of agents his company uses.

For regular visitors here at A Christian Worldview of Fiction, we are nearing the end of the Fantasy Challenge II. If you have something to report, I hope you’ll take a moment to write up your comment as soon as possible.

For fantasy fans, Latest In Spec will be coming out with a special Christmas Gift Issue that you’ll want to get a copy of. It’s a great resource for you and for those you influence—your local librarian, your children’s teachers, your local bookstore managers.

Another fantasy tidbit. The online December issue of CBA: the Association of Christian Retailing listed Wayne Thomas Batson‘s Isle of Swords as #4 on the YA best-selling list. Of course it continues to do well at Amazon.com and is even listed as #5 for children’s books about pirates.

Still, His Dark Materials, atheist Philip Pullman’s children’s series, is getting a big push with the upcoming movie release of The Golden Compass and high on Amazon’s best-seller list. It’s unfortunate, but I tend to think the Christian reaction to the books and movie helps spur interest. More on that subject tomorrow.

CSFF Blog Tour – Scarlet, Day 3

Have I mentioned how much I love the CSFF Blog Tour? 😉 Well, I guess the real question is, have I mentioned it RECENTLY? Just in case, and for those who might be new to A Christian Worldview of Fiction, I LOVE the CSFF Blog Tours. This tour for Stephen R. Lawhead’s latest release, Scarlet illustrates why.

For one thing, I get to learn what people from all walks of life think about a book I’ve read. In some cases it validates what I thought and in others it causes me to re-evaluate my opinion.

I also get to learn more about the tour members. In this tour I learned an especially notable fact: a significant number of tour participants credit Stephen Lawhead with inspiring them to write fantasy or in some other way sparking their imagination. One blogger even points to Lawhead as the inspiration for transforming him into a reader. Powerful stuff.

A third reason I enjoy the blog tour so much is because I learn about the author. Lawhead has an impressive web site, in my opinion, complete with a reader forum. To be honest, with all the Lawhead fans in CSFF, I was a little surprised I didn’t recognize more names there, but that might be because others didn’t know about this discussion venue. I thought there was a substantial array of topics, including but not limited to Lawhead’s works.

From his web site, I also learned that The Dragon King Trilogy is now in hardback. Also, the much loved Song of Albion Trilogy has been re-released, this by WestBow (now Thomas Nelson).

One other bit of information. Some on the blog tour mentioned that the release of Tuck, book 3 in the King Raven Trilogy, isn’t scheduled until 2009 due to an illness. In part this information comes from the author note, “The Turbulent Times of William Scatlocke,” located in the back of Scarlet:

Generally speaking, it does take far longer to write a book than to read one—always a problem—and at this point I must beg your further indulgence as the writing and publication of Tuck, the third volume in the trilogy, will be delayed on account of a serious illness.

From prior information I understood this to be an illness Lawhead himself has experienced while others ascribed this to an illness in his family. Whichever, it seems apparent that we can add to our posting about the book, prayer for the author. [Edited to add: Katie Hart confirmed in her post today that the illness he referred to is his battle with cancer. She linked to her earlier post—from last February—when Mr. Lawhead had just undergone some aggressive treatment.]

Lastly, I have to mention, I love the blog tour because it helps me as a writer. I learn from what others talk about—what it was that caught their attention, that stayed with them, that sparks them to look forward to the next in the trilogy. These are helpful insights—the sort of information you’d expect from a focus group, perhaps. Great stuff.

Take time today and on through the rest of this week to see what I’m talking about. Again, those in bold are the ones I know already have at least one post up.

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 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 Waguespac Daniel I. Weaver Laura Williams Timothy Wise

CSFF Blog Tour – Scarlet, Day 2

So what’s your first thought when the central piece of art on a book cover is a hangman’s noose? Then when you turn to Chapter 1, the first words you encounter are these:

So, now. One day soon they hang me for a rogue. Fair enough. I have earned it a hundred times over, I reckon, and that’s leaving a lot of acreage unexplored. The jest of it is, the crime for which I swing is the one offence I never did do. The sheriff will have it that I raised rebellion against the king.

I didn’t

I don’t know about you, but I was hooked. With that opening of Scarlet (Thomas Nelson), author Stephen R. Lawhead had me. Here was a character I did not yet know, but he was condemned to die for a crime he didn’t commit, and I immediately felt sympathetic.

From that point, I became intrigued. The story, for the most part, is a first person recitation to a priestly amanuensis who is recording the condemned man’s “confession.” The storytelling device intrigued me as a writer, as did the frequent interruptions to show a growing relationship between the scribe, Odo, and the condemned, Will.

The effect was to give the story a bit of a herky-jerky feel, especially when occasional chapters popped up written in third person from the point of view of the antagonist. But rather than spoil the story, I felt the unique twists added dimension, and clearly, as the tale played out, were absolutely necessary.

But there was more. As others on the CSFF tour have noted in their reviews, The King Raven Trilogy upends the Robin Hood legend by re-situating it in Wales and re-identifying the central figure, not as Robin of Locksley, but as Rhi Bran a Hud—King Raven the Enchanter.

I thought the premise was intriguing, and from that point on I was soaking up the story. Hooked in the beginning, intrigued by the story. Scarlet had all the promise of a great read.

And Lawhead delivered. Mind you, it was not a fast-action thriller. The story unfolded, giving time for character development and relationships to be established.

Despite the familiarity with the Robin Hood persona, I still found lots of surprise. I felt like Lawhead steered the story away from the predictable.

Another plus was Lawhead’s command of language. His writing is rich without being tedious, clear without being pedestrian.

Scarlet, in my opinion, bled research without feeling teacherly. Whatever historical references or explanations came into the story seemed necessary and welcome—they were delivered when the reader needed and wanted them.

Simply put, the book was an enjoyable read.

But I have to pause here and consider, why then didn’t I LOVE it?

I’d have to say, for me, the story didn’t have a lot of depth. In other words, I didn’t see a lot happening under the surface—something I’ve grown accustom to in traditional fantasy.

The spiritual themes that existed seemed as clear as the political ones, both delivered in a rather straight-forward manner. Nothing wrong with that, certainly, but I don’t see anything to encourage me to read the story again and to delve deeper.

Recommendation. I’m very glad I read Scarlet. I would be poorer literarily if I’d missed out. I highly recommend the book for those who like to read, and it is a must read for Stephen Lawhead fans.

Check out what others on the tour are saying (those in bold are ones I know have posts up already—doesn’t mean the others haven’t posted, but perhaps haven’t linked here or haven’t pinged Technorati).

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 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 Waguespac Daniel I. Weaver Laura Williams Timothy Wise

CSFF Blog Tour – Scarlet, Day 1

A CSFF Blog Tour—my favorite time to blog. 😀 This month we are featuring Scarlet, the work of perhaps the most famous Christian fantasy writer this side of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien—Stephen R. Lawhead.

Lawhead’s list of books is impressive. From the Dragon King Trilogy to the Pendragon Cycle, the Song of Albion Trilogy, and now the King Raven Trilogy, he has made a name as a creator of myth.

I admit, apart from that information, I knew very little about the man, so I did a little research and developed a little quiz for you from my findings. Have fun.

1) Lawhead was born in
a. Oxford b. New York c. Kearney, Nebraska d. Tupelo, Mississippi

2) His wife, also a writer, is
a. Alice Slaikeu b. Janice Oranski c. Elizabeth Gradinow d. Pearl Abrahams

3) He has how many children?
a. Two daughters, Betsy and Diana b. Two sons, Ross and Drake c. a son Drake and a daughter Betsy d. he has no children

4) True or False
He is a former editor of Campus Life magazine.

5) True or False
For a time, he managed the singing group DeGarmo & Key.

6) True or False
For a year, he ran his own record company, Ariel Records.

7) True or False
He grew up as an atheist.

8 ) Lawhead became a Christian
a. in preschool b. in elementary school c. in high school d. as an adult

9) What school did Lawhead attend
a. Northern Baptist Theological Seminary b. Kearney State College c. both a and b d. he has no higher education

10) Scarlet is
a. the rewrite of the sequel to Gone with the Wind
b. the myth about Robin Hood’s true love, Lady Scarlet
c. a book about the blood-stained robe of Jesus
d. the story of Will Scarlet, one of the men giving allegiance to Robin Hood or King Raven

Answers posted below the list of other blog tour participants.

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 Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

1. c Kearney, Nebraska
2. a. Alice Slaikeu
3. b. Two sons, Ross and Drake
4. True
5. True
6. True
7. False
8. c. in high school
9. c. both a and b
10. d. the story of Will Scarlet, one of the men giving allegiance to Robin Hood or King Raven

So how well did you do? 🙂

Holidays and Heritage

I apologize for not alerting you to the fact that I was taking the US holiday of Thanksgiving off. Truth is, I wasn’t sure I would and actually hoped to post at least something short. It didn’t happen.

In part it didn’t happen because I had to take care of making my traditional contribution to our family dinner, which first required me to dash to the store for some of the ingredients. I’d tried to take care of this last Saturday only to find that the store I was in didn’t carry one of the items.

So, back to Thursday morning. Not only did I need to go to the grocery store, I also needed gas since I would be traveling to the other side of LA, and my trip to the Anaheim Convention Center on Tuesday had dropped the needle on the gage of my gas tank lower than I was comfortable with.

Happily, I had passed a station posting gas at $3.15 a gallon, a dime cheaper than my regular station and about 7 miles closer! So off I went, first to get gas, then to pick up items for my Thanksgiving dish.

Imagine my surprise when I passed the shopping area (they still call them malls, though there is nothing resembling a true mall in most SoCal shopping centers any more), and found the parking lots brimming with cars. On Thanksgiving Day?

This was duplicated at the grocery store. In fact, I haven’t seen that store so busy … ever. On Thanksgiving Day?

Add to this fact, the night before one news broadcast reported shoppers setting up tents in order to be near the front of the line for store openings on “Black Friday.” Rather than being at home for the traditional “family time,” which is what Thanksgiving has become, these shoppers preferred to increase their chance of finding a bargain.

What’s it all mean? Holidays, which nationally stopped being Holy days a long time ago, are even losing their secondary meanings—a break from the normal work day, time with family, opportunity to express thanks or give tokens of love and appreciation. More and more, these “set apart” days are becoming excuses for buying more stuff.

As if the stuff is what we need.

There used to be a phrase used for the older, affluent businessman, the gift for the man who has everything. Thing is, now that term can be adapted to say the gift for the child who has everything, and it describes the kids in most middle class families.

I realized something just recently. On our money here in the US, we have inscribed the words In God We Trust. Whoever made that decision was insightful—and probably informed by Scripture, because the Bible declares no one can serve God and riches both. (Matthew 6:24) You see, what I realized wasn’t that we had the phrase on our coins and bills but rather WHY we have it there, and not on public buildings or statues or even in churches. It is that when we have abundance, often seen in the form of cash, we can so easily trust in the abundance and not in God.

To think, several hundreds of years ago, people setting up our government foresaw the danger of trusting wealth instead of trusting God! What a remarkable heritage! For that I am truly thankful. For what we have become as a nation of users, not so much.

Landon Snow and the Volucer Dragon-A Fall into Reading Review

My fall reading list, which I posted as part of Callapidder Days’ Fall into Reading challenge, is as follows:
√ Auralia’s Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet (WaterBrook).
√ Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead.
√ Crimson Eve by Brandilyn Collins (Zondervan).
The Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin.
Wish list:
DragonFire by Donita Paul (WaterBrook).
√ Landon Snow and the Volucer Dragon by R. K. Mortenson (Barbour).
Restorer’s Journey by Sharon Hinck (NavPress).
Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by J. K. Rowling.

So, yes, I actually got to read a book that was on my wish list. And I’ll probably get another one or two in these next couple weeks. I’m still waiting for a review copy of The Restorer’s Journey. I don’t think it will release in time for me to buy it before December 20 which is when the challenge ends, I think.

I did want to do a review of sorts of Randy Mortenson’s Landon Snow and the Volucer Dragon.

I have to say, this is by far my favorite Landon Snow book. Randy captured my interest from the beginning and held me the whole way through. The pages flew by. And what was especially intriguing to me was the fact that he began to weave in elements from his first book that had seemed random and disjointed—very Alice-and-Wonder-ish. in this fourth installment of the Landon Snow series, Randy skillfully brought threads together, some for the first time. And still there are questions, many, many questions left open at the end. This book reads less like a stand alone than the others.

The thing is, I already love the characters and am committed to rooting for them. I especially like Landon and his uncertain wisdom. But Bridget takes a more significant role in this book, and I found her more and more endearing.

Randy’s imagination continues to impress me, as does his ability to bring in spiritual truth as a natural part of the story.

Wonderfully, the final book, Landon Snow and the Auctor’s Kingdom, is also out, so anyone interested in buying the entire set for Christmas has that opportunity. The books are so nicely packaged. They really are the kind a reader would love to have on the bookshelf.

And just now, I discovered they are also out in paperback, which makes them appreciably affordable. I highly recommend this series. You’ll find it builds to a wonderful crescendo, with each book toping the one before it.

Teaching at the Teachers’ Convention

I’m excited about teaching at the Association of Christian Schools International teachers’ convention in Anaheim. If you’ve seen my newsletter for November, you know that I’m giving two seminars, one on grammar and one on fantasy.

Fantasy, you’re probably not surprised about, but grammar? 😮 Yep, and I even enjoy doing it. The thing is, I’ve learned so much more about grammar since I became a writer. No, not the nuts-and-bolts of verb identification, or anything like that. Rather I understand more clearly the function of grammar and how we actually learn to write.

If you’re wondering, it’s no different than how we learned to speak—we imitate. So if you are exposed to good literature, if someone reads aloud to you, chances are you will be a better writer because you will unconsciously imitate the writing you read and hear.

There’s more—specific stuff teachers can do to incorporate grammar in with reading and writing. I’m sure you’d all love to hear the whole talk! 😉

The fantasy workshop is fun, too. Last year when I was putting out handouts, I overheard a couple teachers talking and they were wondering which side of the fence I would come down on. Happily, they were all smiles when they left—and I only had a dozen or so walk out. 😀 Just kidding about that last item.

Actually I’m up front about my bias. I tell them right at the start that I write Christian fantasy. The main thrust, as I’ve written here a number of times, is to encourage teaching critical thinking, but I also get a chance to introduce these educators to Christian fantasy. Earlier I asked a number of writers if they would like to make some books or bookmarks available for these teachers/librarians.

I had a generous number of items donated. I’m still uncertain how best to make these available, but part of the problem is that I don’t have a clue how many will attend. Did I mention that the fantasy seminar is on the last day of the conference, during the last time-slot for seminars?

I remember those convention days. After non-stop workshops, trolling the aisles of the exhibit halls for freebies or for things you want to tell your principal you really NEED, after meeting and greeting friends working in far away places, after attending the morning and evening general sessions, by the end, your brain feels fried. Sort of like writers’ conferences.

That’s when I get to teach—at the end, when the brains are all well-done! 🙂

Trusting God

Announcements: 1) The November issue of Latest In Spec is now on line at the LIS site. You’ll find listings of book releases, contests, author appearances, interviews, reviews, and much more. It’s a great tool for those who want to stay current with the Christian science fiction and fantasy genre; 2) Check out the SFF short story contest hosted by Tracy Ruckman—details available at Pix-N-Pens. BTW, yours truly will be the judge of these stories (I accept chocolate! 😉

– – –

I’ve been thinking about trusting God. It seems to me, in contemporary western culture, especially in the US with its emphasis on the individual and personal freedom, we Christians have a tendency to trust God for our salvation, then shoulder the rest of the burdens of life ourselves.

The Bible is clear about salvation. The release from the bondage of sin and death is not something we can work for. It is a gift we accept, or we don’t have it. It requires complete trust in God.

But what about the rest of life? Seems there is some measure of us “doing” from there on. We are to love God and our neighbors, and love is an action. We are to obey God, and certainly obedience requires action. We are to take up our cross and follow Jesus, make disciples, submit, pray, give, encourage, worship, and on and on—all actions.

And somewhere along the line, it seems to me, we leave God out.

The “thou-shalts” are all things we understand we are to do, but eventually we face the fact that we can’t really do them well enough. Consequently we feel discouraged or we work harder or we adjust our sights and expect less (because we are, after all, only human). Or we rail against God for asking so much of us—hard things, like forgiveness of those who use and abuse us, or patience as we stand at the end of the road watching for the return of the prodigal.

All the while, God wants to shoulder the burdens for us, to take the lead, show us what and how, to give us the strength to stand, walk, work, and to transform our feeble efforts into something for His glory. All we have to do is let Him.

It reminds me of when I was little. When we were in the mountains on back dirt roads, Dad would often let us kids drive the car (set aside for the moment the questionability of him letting his unlicensed kids drive, OK? 😮 ). But for the youngest (me) that meant sitting on his lap and steering while he worked the gas and brake pedals.

One time, as we were returning home, he let me steer out onto the asphalt. I was stunned at how much faster we were traveling, and frightened at the responsibility of navigating the car around those mountain curves. In the end, I was too frightened to continue and took my hands off the wheel, because I knew Dad would take over.

On the surface, it seems I trusted my dad, but the real test of my trust would have been for me to keep on steering, even when I didn’t think I was capable. After all, Dad thought I was, and he was there to rescue me if I made a mistake. I didn’t get that. I thought it was all up to me.

It never was. He put me in the circumstance. Yes, it was challenging and frightening and new. But I was never on my own, though I felt like I was.

Trust understands God does not abandon his children, that He has my good—for now and eternity—in mind, that He doesn’t make mistakes, that He is strong enough, wise enough to handle whatever I come up against. Simply put, no place can be safer than with Him in charge.

Fantasy Friday – Idle Thoughts

I have a speaking engagement coming up next week, and one of my topics is on fantasy (the other one is on grammar 😮 ). Consequently, I’ve been reading and re-reading a multitudinous number of articles on the subject and putting together a bibliography to hand out.

To be honest, I feel a little brain-fried. I mean, I have SO much I would like to say, I could easily take up two hours instead of just one. Last year, when I first gave this talk, I had to cut out reading excerpts of the books I’d brought along. Fortunately we didn’t need to clear the room because my next seminar was in that same location, so that gave me a little more time to give away the freebies I’d brought along. Still, I didn’t have a chance to answer questions or interact with the attendees as I’d hoped.

So this year, what’s new and different is the approaching release of the movie version of The Golden Compass, first in The Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. Mostly what I want to get across to that room of educators is the need to teach young people to think critically about fiction. I also want to introduce them to Christian fantasy and explain that fantasy, like all fiction, is a tool shaped by its author’s worldview.

Last year, after making my case for critical thinking—or so I thought—I had one attendee come up and say, So what secular books can you tell me that are safe for my kids to read. YIKES! The very thing I want to get away from is creating an “approved list.” Or following the knee-jerk reaction to code words, fantasy being among them.

In reality, I think there is much less of that kind of reaction among Christians in SoCal. Chances are, those who still do react with a sharp intake of breath at the mention of dragons or wizards won’t be in my seminar. 😉

Change of topic. The November issue of Latest In Spec is about to release. We have a new publisher and are still working to un-kink a few things, but the draft I received is awesome. I plan to print out a few copies, make them available at my seminar, and invite attendees to subscribe. Anyone wanting to know just about anything in the Christian speculative genre would be wise to check out LIS.

Change of topic 2. Don’t forget: the Fantasy Challenge II includes buying books. Besides talking with the manager or clerk, you can be prize eligible if you buy a Christian fantasy from a brick-and-mortar store. Just leave a comment on the Fantasy Challenge II page.

Change of topic 3. Did you catch my review of Andrew Peterson’s (yes, THE Andrew Peterson, musician extraordinaire) book due out in January? I posted it at Spec Faith on Monday. At the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness is the first in the Wingfeather Saga (WaterBrook). Lots of fun.

And on that note, I’ll stop. Otherwise, since these are idle thoughts, they might just go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and …