by Jason Joyner | May 13, 2014 | Blog, Uncategorized
The tragedy is unthinkable.
Three hundred girls – teenagers who are the hope of their villages and pride of their families – ripped from their school by terrorists posing as the soldiers who should protect them from the terrorists.
The horror that the girls and their families in Nigeria are dealing with is truly terrible. We complain in the West about so many things, but how often does something of this magnitude happen?
It is heartening to see the world shine a light on Nigeria and put pressure to get them back from the monsters known as Boko Haram. It shows the power of social media to amplify something until it is picked up by the wider world.
A key is to keep this in the spotlight so people can pray and continue to advocate until all the girls are home. Western media is so quick to move onto the next big outrage, so it is imperative that we keep bringing up these girls and not back down.
If you want to talk about this on social media, use the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.
Thanks for taking a moment to remember those who need deliverance in such a hard time.
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There’s still time to get entered for my book giveaway of Jill Williamson’s Captives. Leave a comment on this post before May 19th to be entered to win.
by Jason Joyner | May 1, 2014 | Blog, blogging, fiction, spoiled for the ordinary
What do you do for an encore?
Welcome to the new Spoiled For The Ordinary 2.0. I’ve been hanging out at my old location since ’06, but it was time for an upgrade. So here I am on WordPress, ready to go.
I’ve grown so much since I started to blog. I guess it is time for this to do so as well.
I will continue to talk about issues of faith as well as the ins and outs of fiction. Oh, and I like to have some fun in between. That’s the focus of the blog: faith, fiction, and fun.
As I looked back to my first post, this line stuck out to me:
I serve a big God, a God of adventure and life. I serve in His kingdom, and because of that reason alone, I have been “spoiled for the ordinary”.
That still sums up what I want to do here.
To celebrate, I want to give something away.
I’ve got a brand new copy of Captives, the first book in the YA dystopian series by awesome author Jill Williamson. She’s crafted a great story, and I want people to know about it.
All you have to do is leave a comment on any post from now until May 19th. I’ll choose a random winner to receive Captives.
Thanks for stopping by. Let’s not be satisfied with ordinary. Let’s do this.
by Jason Joyner | Apr 23, 2014 | Blog, blogging, CSFF, more blogging, new home, to everything a season
As the Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy Tour concludes our May feature with the science fiction book Numb by John W. Otte, I have something to share.
This is the last time Spoiled For The Ordinary will be in the CSFF Tour.
Yep.
I’ve been involved since almost the beginning, but some things are showing their age, and it is time for something new.
Don’t take that wrong. The CSFF Tour is going strong and needs to continue.
I’m talking about my Blogger home.
I’ve been doing Spoiled since 2006. There have been ups and downs with my blogging, but I’ve stuck with it.
But it’s time for a new home.
Spoiled For The Ordinary 2.0 will be at www.jasoncjoyner.com starting May 1st.
The focus will still be on Faith, Fiction, and Fun, but it’s time to move to a cleaner WordPress layout and my own domain name. Oooh, fancy pants.
I hope you’ll join me there.
Look for the first post on May 1st, and I’ll announce a giveaway at that time.
Thanks for the memories CSFF Tour. I’ll see you at my new home.
by Jason Joyner | Apr 22, 2014 | Blog, CSFF, John W. Otte, Numb, reviews, speculative fiction
Usually, being numb is not fun.
I can attest, as I currently have a pinched nerve that is affecting a couple of fingers on my right hand. BTW, if you see any typos, I blame it on not feeling the keys.
But one author saw something different in that idea. Thus, the new adult science fiction book Numb by John W. Otte.
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Crusader is numb.
He doesn’t feel emotions or pain. This makes him the perfect instrument of God’s divine judgment, as divined by the Ministrix. If he stays obedient, he will earn his justification and receive pardon for his sins.
As one of the Ministrix’s top operatives, he is used to success. But when he is charged with killing Isolda Westin, something happens.
A rush of emotions.
Suddenly Crusader can’t process with his usual clinical coldness. Instead of killing Isolda, he kidnaps her to discover the secret of this strange failing. But doing so will damn his soul.
What is a holy assassin to do?
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What an intriguing premise! The good news is that John delivers on all fronts: characters, plot, and the science fiction setting. Set against a war between the atheistic Praesidium and the holy church Ministrix, the novel finds Crusader striking down heretics and protecting the Church’s interests.
His name is appropriate, yes?
Crusader is a driven character and his resistance to emotional or physical pain is something he leans on heavily to accomplish his mission. When he freezes with the feelings that Isolda triggers, he doesn’t know what to do. The conflict keeps the reader guessing and intrigued throughout the book. The action keeps careening through space stations and starships.
Not only does the action hold attention, the characters have depth so they aren’t just plot puppets. Isolda has strengthens and doubts, and Crusader wrestles with these pesky feelings that he hasn’t had to deal with before.
Finally, the ideas that Numb introduce are very thought-provoking. The Ministrix believes that Christ came down from the Cross as a conquering Lord, ready to impose His will after defeating death. This idea gives the brutal treatment of Ministrix opponents a logical justification. There’s a fringe group that has different beliefs, and their quest to avoid the heavy hand of the Church plays into the conflict as well.
Overall, John Otte has written an intelligent and exciting science fiction novel with a sincere wrestling of spiritual issues. Any sci-fi fan should enjoy this book.
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If you’d like more on this book, see Becky Miller’s post for all of the participants and updated info.
by Jason Joyner | Apr 21, 2014 | Blog, CSFF, John W. Otte, Numb, speculative fiction, writers are strange
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| “Are you my mummy?” photo by Karen Barnett |
Hello science fiction fans. The Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy Tour for May is featuring a great book by an awesome guy.
But for some reason he chose to wear a mask in this picture.
We are featuring Numb by John W. Otte, an adult science fiction book.
Tomorrow I’ll get into the book, but I’m blessed to count John as a friend. We’ve interacted through the CSFF Tour for years, and then we met at the ACFW Conference in Dallas in 2012.
It was my first contest, and having a familiar face in the crowd kept me hanging with John and the cool speculative fiction crowd, even though my WIP was suspense.
We met up again at the same conference in Indianapolis last September and continued to have a blast. So when I review the book, know that there is some bias, but I’ll try to be objective.
Here’s some fun facts about John Otte to get us started.
He stands out in a crowd. Or should I say, above a crowd.
He might be something of a conspiracy theorist.
John is an ordained Lutheran pastor.
He is the organizer of the infamous game nights at the ACFW Conference. Once Upon A Time, there was a Fiasco…
He’s written a YA superhero series: Failstate, Failstate: Legends, and the third book due later this year.
John knows how to suffer. (He’s a Minnesota Vikings fan.)
He’s an avid gamer. (“Shepard.” “Wrex.”)
John is a great brainstormer to help other novelists. We gathered by the elevators in Indy to talk stories, and if John got an idea, his hands would shoot to his head like he was miming putting on a hat (or doing a moose impression). I’ve got trademark pending for his tagline: Don’t modify your story, Otte-fy your story.
One last link: here’s his tale on how he came up with the idea for Numb.
See all the people below? Those are my fellow tourists on the tour. See what they have to say about Numb and check back tomorrow for my review.
Julie Bihn
Jennifer Bogart
Keanan Brand
Beckie Burnham
Pauline Creeden
Vicky DealSharingAunt
Carol Gehringer
Victor Gentile
Rebekah Gyger
Nikole Hahn
Carol Keen
Emileigh Latham
Rebekah Loper
Jennette Mbewe
Amber McCallister
Shannon McDermott
Shannon McNear
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
Faye Oygard
Writer Rani
Nathan Reimer
Jojo Sutis
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Shane Werlinger
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
