Christian Speculative Fiction

I wanted to make a correction to one of my previous blog posts. I referred to Eric Wilson's novels as a Christian vampire series. Here's what Eric said about his novels:
My novels are not "Christian vampire" stories. They are stories from a biblical worldview that deal with the evil nature of vampires and their counterfeit method of finding life in blood (as opposed to our finding life through the blood of Jesus).

I wish more would give the series a chance, because such concepts are widely explored in the mainstream market. As Christians, we too often surrender the battle instead of dealing with the issues head-on.

I believe our discussion of vampires and creatures of the night would fall into the Christian Speculative Fiction category? Novel Journey recently posted about Speculative Fiction in the Christian market. If interested in this topic, then you should read this post.

I think I'm done with this subject for now. Soon, I'll be posting a review for The List, a novel by Sherri Lewis.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Health

If you feel inclined, please say a quick prayer for my health!

Thanks!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Vampires In Christian Fiction

One of my blog readers was surprised that I'd mentioned Twilight on this blog because Twilight is about a vampire. Well, coincidentally, I was reading this article yesterday, and discovered that Thomas Nelson, a large, well-known Christian publisher, has a Christian vampire series called Jeruselum's Undead Trilogy by Eric Wilson. How in the world do you Christianize vampires? I haven't read these books because, as I stated on this post, I don't read many vampire/creature-of-the-night novels. If you've read this series, I'd be interested in knowing if they're good, riveting stories? Do the plots draw you in? Here are the book covers and the summary of one of the novels from this series. The covers look pretty scary to me! I'm not sure if I'd want to read this before going to bed at night! I might have nightmares. If you like scary stories with a message, then I think you might want to read these. I might read one of them and then decide if I want to read the other two:





Field of Blood - Jeruselum's Undead Trilogy Book One
From Barnesandnoble.com
Synopsis

Judas hung himself in a place known as the Akeldama or Field of Blood.

But what if his death didn't end his betrayal?

What if his tainted blood seeped deep into the earth, into burial caves, causing a counterfeit resurrection of the dead?

Gina Lazarescu, a Romanian girl with a scarred past, has no idea she is being sought by the undead.

The Collectors, those released from the Akeldama, feed on souls and human blood. But there are also the Nistarim, those who rose from their graves in the shadow of the Nazarene's crucifixion--and they still walk among us, immortal, left to protect mankind.

Gina realizes her future will depend on her understanding of the past, yet how can she protect herself from Collectors who have already died once but still live?

The Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy takes readers on a riveting journey, as imaginative fiction melds with biblical and archaeological history.


Forever Knight, The Trilogy Part Two

Haunt of Jackals - Book Three



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I watched the Twilight movie On Demand yesterday. Surprisingly, I wasn't intending to watch it. I was going to watch another movie - a foreign film about a cult, but the movie I was hoping to see wasn't listed On Demand anymore. I'm off from work this week, my husband and child were both out of the house, so I was guaranteed watching a movie with no interruptions. I'd already made my popcorn, and was bummed when I couldn't find the movie that I wanted to watch. So I decided not to let this movie-watching opportunity to pass me by, so I chose to watch Twilight. It pretty much stayed with the story-line in the novel with a few exceptions.
1. Bella, the main character, is a vegetarian in the movie and her and her dad eat at the diner every night. In the novel, Bella cooked for her and her dad. I don't recall any scenes at a diner. I kind of liked how they had her cooking meals for herself and her dad. I guess the scriptwriters made her a vegetarian because Edward, the hero, eats animals instead of people, which kind of makes him a vegetarian vampire? This makes both Bella and Edward to have a common bond?
2. The trio of evil vampires don't appear in the novel until about half or three quarters of the way into the story; when Edward, Bella, and his family are playing a baseball game. In the movie, they added a thread where the evil vampires are killing people in town, eating them. This thread of murders is not included in the book.
3. In the movie, Edward's family are foster kids to the doctor and his wife. In the book, I don't recall their being known as foster kids. Everybody was under the impression that they were a natural family?

Those are the main differences that I can recall. I preferred the book over the movie, though. The book drew me in more, and I guess that's because reading leaves more to the imagination.

If you saw Twilight, and read the novel, which did you prefer, the book or the movie? If you had a preference, could you tell me the reasons behind your preference?

This blog post about vampires has got me to thinking about stories I've read in the past that had vampires, but, I've come up empty! Vampires and creatures of the night just don't make my regular list of reading material! Maybe it's because I used to get scared when I was a little kid when people mentioned vampires! My father, if he came home from work early enough, used to watch a soap opera about vampires called Dark Shadows. I used to cringe when he'd watch it and I hated it when he came home early enough to watch! I wanted to watch The Flintstones, but he'd turn the channel to Dark Shadows! Barnabas Collins (not sure if that's spelled right) was a vampire in Dark Shadows. This show was on a long time ago, back in the early seventies. I was about four or five at the time.

I also read a novel called Frankenstein by Mary Shelley several years ago. That novel wasn't very scary, and I recall that the writing was strong, and it's considered a classic. Frankenstein isn't a vampire, though, he was a monster.

That's about all I can say about vampires. The other things about vampires that I've been exposed to is stuff you see on TV and in the movies; like using garlic to ward off vampires - weird stuff like that...
~Cecelia Dowdy~

2009 Inspirational RITA Award Nominees!

Congrats to the following Inspirational RITA Award nominees. The RITA Award is given yearly by Romance Writers Of America. A list of finalists for all categories can be found here.


Deep in the Heart of Trouble by Deeanne Gist
Bethany House Publishers (ISBN: 1590529286)
David Long and Julie Klasseneditor, editors

Faking Grace by Tamara Leigh
Random House Publishing, WaterBrook Multnomah (ISBN: 978-1-59052-929-4)
Julee Schwarzburg, editor


Finding Stefanie by Susan May Warren
Tyndale House Publishers (ISBN: 1-4143-1019-6)
Karen Watson, editor


Love Starts with Elle by Rachel Hauck
Thomas Nelson Inc. (ISBN: 1595543384)
Ami McConnell, editor

Mulberry Park by Judy Duarte
Kensington Publishing Corp. (ISBN: 978-0-7582-2015-8)
John Scognamiglio, editor

The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter
Thomas Nelson Inc. (ISBN: 9781595542588)
Amanda Bostic and Leslie Peterson, editors


The Perfect Life by Robin Lee Hatcher
Thomas Nelson Inc., Women of Faith Fiction (ISBN: 978-1-59554-148-2)
Ami McConnell and Leslie Peterson, editors


Where Love Abides by Irene Hannon
Harlequin Enterprises, Steeple Hill Love Inspired (ISBN: 9780373874798)
Melissa Endlich, editor
















One of the finalists in the Novel With Strong Romantic Elements is:
The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner
Random House Publishing, WaterBrook Multnomah (ISBN: 978-1-4000-7456-3)
Shannon Marchese, editor

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Question About Ghostwriting

I was asked the following question from Fred:

I'm looking for a ghostwriter. I've been working on this book for five years, and I need somebody to help me to put it together and put it out there to the public. I've already approached the following person: [FRED WAS ABLE TO SHOW ME A BUSINESS CARD.] and he charges $20,000.00 to ghostwrite my story. I can't afford that. Would you be interested in the job?

My response:

DON'T DO IT!! The business card you showed to me looked highly unprofessional and I could barely read it! If this guy is serious about drumming up business, he would at least have a professional-looking business card!

Also, you need to research this man! What clients has he booked in the past? Talk to his clients and get feedback about their experiences with this "ghostwriter". Look at some of the projects he's ghostwritten - are they quality products that prove this man's talent? If you can't find past clients, and he won't provide them to you, then you need to be very leery about him. Also, if you're his first client, then he doesn't have the right to charge $20,000.00 for his services.

To answer the second part of your question, no, I'm not a ghostwriter, and it's not a subject I know a great deal about. I'm busy with my own projects, plus I work full-time, which limits the time that I have to spend on writing.

Another thing I'd like to mention is, you said you wanted to get your book out to the public? I'm assuming you're planning to self-publish? I've never self-published, so I'm not one to give advice about what you need to do. The little bit that I do know about it I've seen and heard on other blogs and at writers' conferences. If you do pay somebody to ghostwrite (or edit) your novel for you, and you then decide to self-publish, you'll need a plan on how to sell copies of your novels since distribution is usually limited with self-pubbed books.

If you decide to commercially publish, well, that's a whole different subject. Just look up the submission guidelines for publishers that you feel may be interested in your work. Do your research to see which publishers have released books that remind you of your own work.

Hope my suggestions helped!


~Cecelia Dowdy~

Guest Blogger - NY Times Bestselling Author Beverly Lewis!

Last week I focused on Amish fiction, and I invited a number of Amish fiction authors to respond to my question about why Amish fiction sells so well. I posted my results here. I received a response from New York Times Bestselling Amish Fiction Author Beverly Lewis yesterday. Her words were very insightful so I'm featuring her as a guest blogger today!

Beverly Lewis's novels were the first Amish fiction I recall seeing and reading. Surprisingly, I didn't purchase her novels myself. My sister saw them in the now-closed Crown Books store. This was probably ten years ago, I guess? My sister purchased them for me, knowing how much I loved Christian fiction. When she gave them to me, I looked at the cover and said, "What's up with the bonnet? Are they Amish or something?" I recall the main character in one of the novels was blind.

Here's Beverly Lewis's comments about Amish Fiction:

How very nice of you to invite me to post on your blog. Here are my comments for your site:

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Wonderful discussion here, Cecelia. And thanks for inviting me to post.

I receive hundreds of letters each week from readers who share "the draw" to my Amish novels, so I understand why your blog is so popular, as well. It would appear that what has been lost to us as modern people ("fancy folk") and what the exotic and cloistered society of the Plain has to offer those caught up in the frenetic "English" world is a slower (happier?) pace of life, an ability to thrive on face-to-face relationships (as opposed to cyberspace relationships such as IM, FaceBook, SecondLife, texting, and email, etc.), and the Amish are masters at the art of conversation!--as well as a yearning in readers for a sense of belonging. Community is core and key to the Amish fiction appeal, I believe. So many people seem lost and what Amish settings and characters offer is literally a "place to belong."

My own particular interest in the Amish people comes from my family heritage...my maternal grandmother having experienced a heart-breaking shunning that lasted her entire life (from age 17 onward), when she opened her heart to a relationship with the Lord Jesus and married a ministerial student (outside the Plain community). This man became my grandfather (Omar Buchwalter) and he and my courageous grandmother Ada Ranck Buchwalter pastored churches in WA, FL, and later returned to their homeland of Lancaster, PA, where my mother and her 8 siblings grew up. Because of Ada's bold move toward a personal relationship with Christ, I am one of the many benefactors on the whole vast side of Ada's and Omar's family tree. THE SHUNNING, which has been said to have launched an entire genre for inspirational women's fiction, was published in May 1997 and I'm told has presently sold upwards of 1.3 million copies.

All of that to say, there is truly an amazing draw to Amish fiction currently and has only recently become noted by CBA publishers and others outside the Christian booksellers industry. Many view this genre as a way to interweave spiritual themes in a natural way, without being accused of having a platform or being preachy. The simple truth of Amish fiction is that they embrace the Sermon on the Mount literally (thus the reason the Nickel Mines bishop led the way and offered forgiveness following the Amish schoolhouse shootings). They take what Scripture they are permitted to read "straight up," without parcing, studying, or memorizing it. Please remember I'm talking only of the original settlement of Old Order Amish in Lancater County, PA, where I was born, grew up, and know (and have lived with) many Old Order Amish families. There are other Amish communities where their church ordinances reflect a more liberal Anabaptist approach to Scripture, similar to some Mennonite groups, and are not reticent about saying they are "saved" or accept the assurance of salvation by grace. The vast majority of Lancaster County Amish would not declare such a thing, viewing it as the heighth of pride (one bishop said, "If you say you're saved, then you most certainly are not.")

Just a few of many of my observations over the many years of my close ties to PA Amish.

Blessings on your day, Cecelia and thanks for your beautiful blog!
~ Bev Lewis
www.beverlylewis.com




Thanks for your thoughts and insight, Beverly! I've enjoyed featuring you on my blog today!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

For The Love Of Books by Donna Reimel Robinson

For The Love Of Books by Donna Reimel Robinson

Publisher: Heartsong Presents - Barbour
ISBN: 9781602603028
Binding: Mass Market
Pages: 176 pages

From Heartsong Presents website:
Callie Brandt thinks she's destined to be her town's next spinster librarian. But a gorgeous newcomer is hiding a secret, and Callie aims to find it out. Lane Hutchins has been living a double life for years, and nothing bad has ever come of it. Until now. in tiny Ft. Lob, Wyoming, he unexpectedly falls in love with Callie Brandt.

This was a sweet story. Callie, an attractive librarian whose looks are hidden behind thick prescription glasses, finds satisfaction from working in the small town library. She knows she'll never find a man, and she's accepted that she'll always work in the library among the books. Although her sour-natured boss and nosy townspeople bother her, she still feels somewhat settled in the library. However, all of that changes when Lane Hutchins strolls into town, spending an inordinate amount of time in the library researching Yellowstone National Park.

Lane is smitten with Callie and is amazed when she shares her dreams with him. However, Lane has a secret...a secret he's not even sure he can share with Callie.

Like most Heartsongs, you can read this book in a few hours. It's a nice, sweet, heartwarming story that'll make you smile.

I'll probably be including this novel in my next book giveaway.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Christy Award Nominations

Congrats to the Christy Award Nominees:

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE:
Beyond the Night by Marlo Schalesky (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)
Finding Stefanie by Susan May Warren (Tyndale House Publishers)
Zora and Nicky: A Novel in Black and White by Claudia Mair Burney (David C. Cook)


Contemporary Series, Sequels & Novellas:
Sisterchicks Go Brit! by Robin Jones Gunn (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)
Summer Snow by Nicole Baart (Tyndale House Publishers)
You Had Me at Good-bye by Tracey Bateman (FaithWords)


Contemporary Standalone:
Dogwood by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House Publishers)
Embrace Me by Lisa Samson (Thomas Nelson)
Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon by Debbie Fuller Thomas (Moody Publishers)


First Novel:
Blue Hole Back Home by Joy Jordan-Lake (David C. Cook)
Rain Song by Alice J. Wisler (Bethany House Publishers)
Safe at Home by Richard Doster (David C. Cook)


Historical category:
Shadow of Colossus by T.L. Higley (B&H Publishing Group)
Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin (Bethany House Publishers)
Washington’s Lady by Nancy Moser (Bethany House Publishers)


Historical Romance category:
Calico Canyon by Mary Connealy (Barbour Publishers)
From a Distance by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House Publishers)
The Moon in the Mango Tree by Pamela Binnings Ewen (B&H Publishing Group)

Suspense category:
By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer (Tyndale House Publishers)
The Rook by Steven James (Revell)
Winter Haven by Athol Dickson (Bethany House Publishers)


Visionary category:
The Battle for Vast Dominion by George Bryan Polivka (Harvest House Publishers)
Shade by John B. Olson (B&H Publishing Group)
Vanish by Tom Pawlik (Tyndale House Publishers)


Young Adult category:
The Fruit of My Lipstick by Shelley Adina (FaithWords)
I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires by Cathy Gohlke (Moody Publishers)
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

The press release can be found here.


~Cecelia Dowdy~

Twilight

If you've been reading this blog long enough, you'll know that once in a while I'll post about a secular title. When I logged onto AOL yesterday, I saw an advertisement that Twilight was coming out on DVD today. I never saw the movie, but, months ago, while I was visiting my parents, I had a conversation with my sister about the book. I asked her, "What's up with this book Twilight? Why is it so great? It's about a vampire, right?"

My dad piped in, before she could respond. He said, "It's a love story, that's why it's selling so well."

My sister nodded and said, "He's right, that's why it's selling so well."

Since I'd been hearing so much about this book, my sister, myself and my husband drove over to Walmart so that I could purchase Twilight. I was glad it was mass-market paperback, so I paid less than ten dollars for it.

I read it a short time later and was shocked that I actually enjoyed the story! I know I'd read on some website that Stephen King said that Stephenie Meyer can't write herself out of a paper bag, but I disagree. I loved the story and the teens never had intercourse.

Although I enjoyed the story, I thought it was kind of sad, too. I mean, he's a vampire, he's not a real person, and he stays seventeen forever! How can you live happily ever after like that?

I saw a write-up about the series in Today's Christian Woman magazine, so I do know they end up together later on. So I purchased the rest of the titles, but have not had the opportunity to read the rest of the novels. When I do, I'll blog about them and give them away as a set. As I pointed out yesterday, I have TOO MANY BOOKS in this house, and that's part of the reason why our home is such a mess!

Any of you read Twilight? If so, did you enjoy it? Hate it? What did you like or dislike about it?
I didn't bother posting the book summary here since I assume most people already know what the story is about.


~Cecelia Dowdy~

Too Many Books And Not Enough Time!

Most people reading this blog know about the book giveaways that I do each month. Sometimes, I wish I could actually read ALL of the books that I give away, but I just don't have the time! I'm a member of the Heartsong Presents Bookclub, and I also received the Heartsong Presents Mysteries before they canceled that book club. In addition to those books, I purchase novels from the Family Christian Bookstore, or Barnes and Noble whenever I take my family into the Bowie area to get their haircuts. I also purchase novels from Amazon.com fairly frequently. When I give books away on my blog, or when I give them to friends and family, and I haven't read the book, I may feel a little wistful. Am I missing a good story? Should I have read that book? I can't keep all the books that I buy because I simply don't have room in this house to keep them all! Plus, I get a number of free books each year from authors and publishers when I agree to do book reviews for them on this blog!

Do any of you feel kind of sad or wistful when you get rid of books that you haven't read? Do you read the first few pages of a book before you give it away to make sure you're not missing a great story? When I get rid of my books, I think of the way kids act when they don't want to go to sleep - they're afraid that they're going miss something. Do you think you're missing something when you get rid of unread books?


~Cecelia Dowdy~

Amish Fiction - Why Is It Booming In The Christian Market?

Thanks to the authors and readers who commented on this blog post.

The following Christian Fiction Authors commented:
Julie Lessman
Tina Ann Forkner
Robin Bayne
Mary Connealy

The following Christian Authors of Amish Fiction responded:
Janice Thompson
Wanda Brunstetter
Beth Wiseman
Shelley Shepard Gray
Amy Clipston
Cindy Woodsmall
Gayle Roper
Marta Perry
Hillary Lodge


Most of the comments overlapped, so I took the main points and listed them below, giving a general idea about the appeal of Amish fiction in the Christian market. My thoughts and opinions are in brackets.

1. Most of those who commented agreed that people want to escape to a simple, cleaner world, and the Amish life looks appealing. Many long for stronger family values and a stronger relationship with God. We need to find the peace and simplicity that resounded in the lives of our ancestors. Our minds and living spaces are cluttered, and we need relief from our crowded lives; the Amish (novels) provide an escape from our fully-packed lives. [If our modern conveniences are taken away, then we would be forced to focus on our Savior, taking more pleasure in our natural surroundings. The Amish, and their plain, simple habits, almost makes us believe that our lives would be so much easier if we chose to adapt to their style of living.]
[Think of how you look forward to taking a vacation. You anticipate sitting on a tranquil beach, sipping drinks, relaxing, clearing your mind of schedules, work and all kinds of stuff! This sense of tranquility is what many of us MAY believe is the appeal to the Amish. The Amish life offers a permanent vacation from our daily complications. ]






2. The fact that the Amish are separated from us, not using electricity or modern conveniences, makes them fascinating. They are surrounded by mystery. [Why do they choose to live like that? What would it be like if I lived like that? If I were Amish, would my life be more joyful or complete?]
Here are a few facts I discovered about the Amish that lend to their mysterious appeal:
a. The Amish only have an eighth grade education? Gayle Roper mentioned this in her comment on my original post.
b. I perused the two Amish blogs/websites listed in my original post and was very fascinated by this, quoted from the Question and Answer page on the Amish Reader website:
In most communities, teens begin rumspringa, “running around,” at the age of 16. At that time, many of the Ordnung rules are relaxed. The idea is that the kids have a chance to experience the outside world before they commit to the Amish church. Usually around age 18, kids will choose to be baptized into the church.

During rumspringa, Amish teens may purchase cell phones, obtain drivers’ licenses, own cars, and keep generator-operated electronics in their rooms. The boys are more likely to dress English than the girls. They may experiment with cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and sex. Often, kids will join the church when they decide to marry.

The very conservative Schwartzentruber Amish do not participate in rumspringa at all. However, they do follow the “bundling” tradition during courtship: a boy will visit a girl after the family has gone to sleep, spending the night talking with her in her bed.

c. Once you are baptized into the Amish faith, if you should decide to leave at a later date, you are shunned - [which I would find hard to accept! Can you imagine not being able to speak to family, friends, and loved ones because you decide to leave the Amish sometime after your baptism. That would be a tough pill for me to swallow!]

3. A number of the authors who commented had either friends or acquaintances who were Amish OR they grew up near an Amish community, and were familiar with seeing Amish families and buggies. There are differences between the Amish and other Plain people, and in order to write an accurate story, you need to research thoroughly.

4. Sales from Amish Fiction continue to soar, and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

5. Some industry professionals are TIRED of the Amish books, but, they still acquire and publish them because AMISH FICTION SELLS!

Well, I think I’ve worn this topic out! My curiosity about the Amish has been relieved for the time being. I enjoyed posting about them, and I will continue to blog about the Amish and other Plain sects in the future. I read the summaries of some of the Amish novels, and saw quite a few that I’d like to feature on this blog. I’ve reviewed a few Amish titles and look forward to reading more.

I'd like to top off this post with one of the comments that I especially enjoyed. Hillary Lodge said:
The Amish, the Amish. For such a small amount of the American population, they take up a lot of Christian Fiction!...These are uncertain times we live in. The economy is bad, the church is wrestling with a lot of tricky issues. The Amish, with their appearance of simplicity, offer a respite from that. In uncertain times, what could be more comforting than a warm Amish kitchen with pie in the oven? (There's always pie)

I think people turn to Christian fiction in the first place for its safety, especially for their teens. Amish fiction, in one respect, is that much safer. Nothing really, really bad can happen if the girl on the cover is wearing a bonnet.


Feel free to comment or ask more Amish questions. Also, visit these websites:
Amish Reader
Amish Hearts
to find out more about the Amish!




~Cecelia Dowdy~