by Jason Joyner | Jan 2, 2013 | best of 2012, Blog, reviews, Writing Wednesday
Hello 2013.
I must confess, so far you look a lot like 2012 – except you’re a lot colder. Minus 11 degrees Fahrenheit when I got to work today? Ouch.
I wonder what books will come from you. It’s always cool to look back and see just what I’ve read and what tickled my fancy.
But it’s still 2012’s turn. For such a crazy year I’m impressed I can remember one book I’ve read. Thankfully, book blogging and using Goodreads is helping. So here are my favorite books* from last year.
5. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson. The first book I blogged about in 2012 stuck with me throughout the year. From the eye-catching cover to the intriguing premise and suspenseful examination of medical ethics, it was a striking book to me. It’s listed as a teen book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, even if the first few chapters took a little getting used to, as the author used an interesting layout and chapter structure in the early going.
4. The Spirit Well by Stephen Lawhead. The CSFF Blog Tour is always a highlight to me, and one of the benefits has been to read many of Stephen Lawhead’s recent books. His writing skill is remarkable, and he seems to be avoiding the consistency issue I felt he had in earlier series. The Bright Empires series is an ambitious project delving into the multiverse and the price of coffee in 1600’s Vienna (seriously). The Spirit Well is the third in the series and holds the storyline solid as the midway tentpole.
3. Dreamlander by K.M. Weiland. A friend put me in touch with Ms. Weiland, who was looking for some advanced readers of her latest fantasy. I’ve enjoyed her writing advice site through the year, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to see if the rubber met the road. I was very pleased with the idea of a person living in a dream world while they slept. It’s been done before, but she did it with style and substance.
2. Proof by Jordyn Redwood. I really enjoyed the debut novel by Jordyn. A pediatric ER nurse by day, she has been offering her medical advice blog Redwood’s Medical Edge as a service to writers for a few years. She also proved her writing chops with a thrill ride of a medical mystery. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the ACFW Conference in Dallas, but I had already read her book and enjoyed the page-turner. Looking forward to number 2 in her Bloodlines trilogy coming out soon.
1. Rare Earth by Davis Bunn. I had read a book by Mr. Dunn a long time ago but lost track of him. He kept churning out books, and I picked up Rare Earth for another blog tour this summer. Finally it gave me a template in the CBA publishing realm for my project – an international suspense with heart. He wrote a thrilling book that opened up eyes to problems in the real world of displaced people, but did it with dignity and a very enjoyable read.
*My only caveat is that these are my favorite fiction books of 2012. Out of the non-fiction books that I read, there is one that made the biggest impact on me last year. But you’ll have to wait for Mission Monday for that one.
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How about you? What were your favorite books from 2012?
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by Jason Joyner | Dec 20, 2012 | authors, Blog, meme me, writing craft, Writing Wednesday
It’s time for a little fun. My friend Nicole Petrino-Salter tagged me for a blog meme. Whoo-hoo! It’s nice to be recognized and invited to play. So here it goes.
“The Next Big Thing”
1. What is the title of your next book/work?
My next book is my current book – Darkness Under The Moonlight. I’ve finished the first draft, but it’s under revision so it’s not quite done and still “next” in my mind. I did just have a cool idea for a sci-fi/medical thriller, but it is definitely in the gestational stage.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book/work?
My sick mind? I’m not sure what I was doing, but I had the picture of a body floating in the ocean, discovered by a fisherman hitting it with his boat. Who was the victim? Why did he die?
3. What genre does your book/work fall under?
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller. I guess there are differences – I’m trying to figure out where it fits exactly.
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| Camilla’s ready to go. |
4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Jenna Dawson – I need an athletic person for the role. Right now I’m thinking Camilla Luddington or Alex Schlereth.
Derek Stephens – I’m not sure on this one. Perhaps Armie Hammer, just a little less on the leading man looks.
5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A medical student travels to Thailand to discover the mystery behind the death of her missionary brother.
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I’m going to shoot for an agency. If it gets good feedback but the market isn’t favorable, I would consider self-publishing.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
*cough*Seven years, next question*cough*
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’d love to be compared to Davis Bunn’s Rare Earth due to the exotic local and human element. If I could approach his level of writing skill, all the better.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I had recently gotten back into the hobby of creative writing and I had the images that were the genesis of the story. I fiddled around with it until I hit on the theme of human trafficking. With that issue at the heart, even though I got discouraged at times, I knew it was something important to finish.
10. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
I’m trying to blend international intrigue, medical suspense, and a heart-grabbing current issue into something readers will enjoy.
Now I’m tagging John Otte, Emileigh Latham, and Morgan Busse, to play. Okay?
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by Jason Joyner | Dec 12, 2012 | Biblical worldview, Blog, CBA, christian fiction, Christian marketplace, Marcher Lord Press, speculative fiction, Writing Wednesday
Now this is interesting…
There was a very interesting confluence of circumstances in the world of Christian or CBA fiction this week. First of all, I am a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and I subscribe to the main email loop for discussion of issues in Christian fiction. I haven’t been following it for a while, but this week I happened to open up my digest and there was an interesting (if not new) discussion.
How “Christian” should our stories be?
Larry Timm started the discussion with this question on his blog and he threw it out to the ACFW loop as well. Both the comments on Larry’s post and the answers on the email loop were enlightening.
The answers varied, for sure. Some thought that Christian novels should explicitly glorify Jesus in some way. Being a sweet romance without profanity or sex wasn’t enough. Some answers thought there should be some lesson or purpose in the story. Others wondered if their stories could be considered Christian if there wasn’t a path to redemption/salvation shown clearly in the text. There was concern that the message may be watered down in the current climate to appeal to wider audiences.
Is it enough if the worldview Christian, if the characters are Christians and live, make mistakes, and learn from their sin, without preaching it to the reader? Is there a place for good, clean fun, or do they all have to change our lives somehow? I liked what Randy Ingermanson said, something to the effect that we’re called to be salt, but people like different levels of saltiness in their soup.
The consensus seemed to move toward different stories for different folks. Authors may be called to tell stories with the themes veiled or more subtle, while others may want to specifically deal with a theological/moral topic. People were respectful. It is an old debate in the CBA world, and it will continue to recycle as long as we continue to write.
What made the timing interesting to me was the introduction this week of…
The Hinterlands.
Marcher Lord Press has developed a significant niche in the CBA world as the go-to place for Christian speculative fiction. Other publishers will produce some science fiction or fantasy, but no one sells out for it like MLP.
Now they are ready to push the boundaries – figuratively and literally, it seems.
Hinterlands is the new MLP imprint for mature fantasy and sci-fi. It is designed to reach out to people who love secular fantasy/sci-fi but wouldn’t pick up a typical Christian novel. The first book is called A Throne Of Bones by Vox Day, and it is specifically targeted to be for fans of epic fantasy such as George R. R. Martin and his Game Of Thrones series.
According to an article in Christian Retailing, Hinterlands will feature books with content that does not always mesh with traditional CBA fare.
“Just as some Christians have the ability to watch R-rated movies without stumbling and others do not, so it will be with A Throne of Bones and other titles to come in the Hinterlands line,” [Jeff Gerke] said.
MLP’s owner and publisher Jeff Gerke went on to say,
“It’s not going to be erotica, and the characters aren’t going to be dropping f-bombs left and right,” he said. “But these books will still have more mature content than other Christian novels. Having these books in their own imprint will allow our fans to find the Marcher Lord Press books they’re interested in and avoid the ones they would rather avoid.”
“Hinterlands books may contain vulgarity, profanity, nudity and/or sexual content, but never for gratuitous purposes. Hinterlands allows us to pursue crossover publishing that will put the word of the gospel before people who would never otherwise pick up a Christian novel. It also allows us to examine mature themes in a realistic manner that some Christians will appreciate. We know that not everyone will want to read these books, so we have set them apart into the Hinterlands imprint.”
So we have two separate streams in the CBA realm that may be flowing in parallel, or depending on your viewpoint, moving far away from each other.
One side sees Christian fiction as standing apart from the world. Generally this group sees Christian fiction through the lens of Philippians 4:8, wants to see a clear story of redemption or salvation, and hews to an evangelical Christian framework.
Hinterlands is new ground that is trying to engage the world in realistic ways. This imprint could be the publishing home for stories from the Bible like Judges, Genesis 34 or 38, or be a realistic portrayal of life of King David. It sounds like they will take great care to avoid gratiutous use of profanity, violence, or sexual situations, but they won’t avoid it wholesale if the story seems to require it.
I am very interested in seeing how this plays out. Can MLP succeed in this bold initiative with Hinterlands? Is there room for Christians producing this type of literature? At least, is there room in the CBA world? With the new world of the internet and social media, perhaps the old forms of marketing and distribution aren’t needed anymore, and a niche like Hinterlands can succeed and reach people.
Can we reach people with gritty stories? This question has been debated in the CBA for a while now. I guess we’ll be finding out with Hinterlands.
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What do you think? I’ve got my opinions for a later post, but I want to hear from authors and readers of Christian fiction and speculative fiction. What is Christian fiction, and is there room for Hinterlands-type books in it?
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by Jason Joyner | Dec 6, 2012 | Blog, Dreamlander, fantasy, KM Weiland, reviews, speculative fiction, Writing Wednesday
What happens when you dream?
This question has made men wonder for millenia. Leave it to a woman to answer it for us all.
Author K.M. Weiland of the popular Wordplay blog for writers has taken this idea and weaved it into her latest fantasy book Dreamlander.
Chris Redston is a down on his luck writer who has always dreamt of far away lands and amazing battles. Lately he’s having a dream that scares him: a beautiful woman rides up to him on a horse, pulls out a firearm, and warns him not to come – right before shooting him between the eyes.
If that didn’t make him paranoid, he’s being called by a strange man who knows Chris is having weird dreams. When Chris is finally able to confront his stalker, the man is shot. Chris is knocked out and awakens to meet a psychologist who promises to help Chris get rid of the dreams. All he needs to do is sleep, do what he’s told in the dream, and it will break the cycle.
Allara is a princess of Lael and is also the Searcher – the one person tasked with finding the Gifted and guiding them through their world. The Gifted is the one person who can remember both lives on Earth and Lael. Everyone else thinks they are dreaming. Allara was a young girl when a Gifted came to Lael and betrayed everyone for the treacherous Mactalde. Even though that Gifted and Mactalde were killed, the prophecy that Mactalde would return has her on edge. Especially now that a new Gifted is about to cross over, which shouldn’t happen again in her lifetime as most Searchers only ever have one Gifted a generation. She tries to warn him away, but he keeps appearing closer and closer to fulling coming over.
Chris didn’t realize that the psychologist was Mactalde still living on Earth. Chris unwittingly brings Mactalde back over, sparking a war between Lael and Mactalde’s army. Even worse, by bringing someone across the boundary, both worlds are stretched to the breaking point by unusual storms wreaking havoc on both sides.
As Chris and Allara are thrown together, they must overcome her mistrust and his cluelessness about their world to find Mactalde and end the chaos before two worlds crash down. But the shifting alliances and strange ways of Lael may prove too much for even the Gifted to handle.
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An epic fantasy needs a strong plot, a deep world, and compelling characters. Dreamlander has all three aspects in full force here. The fish-out-of-water part of the story with Chris trying to survive and deal with a fantasy realm is not new, but it is handled deftly in the author’s hands. The tension builds steadily on both sides of the dream as Chris tries to avoid death on Earth and trains in Lael. There is no dull moment as every part of the steps taken pull the reader deeper into a grand conflict.
Chris and Allara are appealing characters that battle internal demons along with the dangers that Mactalde’s invasion brings. They both grow and develop throughout the story and anchor the story well. The secondary characters are also well done. Instead of being cardboard place holders, they are all 3-D figures that occupy their own space in the story and add to the mix.
The fantasy world of Lael is an intriguing one, as it isn’t all swords and horses. Those elements are there of course, but this world has some mechanical, almost steampunk type elements. There are tram cars enabling quick travel across lands and fantastical firearms that operate with a special energy. These are cool factors that make Dreamlander stand apart from a typical fantasy.
I’ve enjoyed following K.M. Weiland’s blog posts for writerly advice and videos. Now reading Dreamlander I know she has the skill and talent to back up her training. She doesn’t just teach – she can ply the craft as well. I really enjoyed Dreamlander as one of the best fantasy books I’ve read in a while, and I can highly recommend it for a great Christmas gift for a loved one – or even a treat for yourself.
Full disclosure – I did receive an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review – and I wouldn’t be writing this if I didn’t really like it.
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by Jason Joyner | Nov 29, 2012 | Blog, e-readers, Nook, technology is no place for wimps, Writing Wednesday
A quick post here for Writing Wednesday. I’ve got a question for any of you that use some sort of e-reader (Kindle, Nook, iPad, or other).
Have you found many formatting problems? If so, do they affect your enjoyment in reading?
I’m reading a book originally published in 2006 on my Nook. There are a lot of little formatting errors that have started to really distract me. Some of the goofs affect the gap that comes up when the author changes POV characters. It has left me going back on occasion to see which character is speaking, because I missed the change.
I’m wondering if the problem stems from a book from this author’s catalog being quickly converted to be purchased on an e-reader. I haven’t noticed such a problem on recently released books.
Any Kindle readers out there – have you noticed a similar problem?
Just trying to get a handle on whether this is a common issue or not, and people’s feelings on it. If this were a frequent problem, I wouldn’t keep buying e-books. So far this book is the worst I’ve experienced, but I’ve seen other problems before.
Any other thoughts on e-readers? Please share. We can complain together.
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by Jason Joyner | Nov 21, 2012 | Blog, God things, life, NaNoWriMo, random thoughts, Writing Wednesday
Oh. Hello again.
Seems to be an annual thing – a monkey wrench in the blogging plans for posting every week. Well, at least this time I’m pretty sure I have a good reason. There’s a little story involved so pull up a chair if you’re so inclined. Otherwise, we’ll be back to regularly scheduled mayhem next week.
It’s supposed to be Writing Wednesday here. To tie it in, I’ll say now that I’m glad I didn’t try to do NaNoWriMo. But the story starts before this decision.
It has been a year for strange occurrences. From meeting in a traditional church setting to spending Sunday nights in a park, to my first writer’s conference, 2012 has been a different beast.
The good news is, the Lord is in control and He guides His people.
We’ll pick up in the summer when my wife and I are trying to plan for a trip to Disneyland we’ve been wanting to do for a while. As a homeschooling family, we have freedom to do it at alternate times when the crowds aren’t as big. We considered the second week of September, after Labor Day and the final big push for the summer crowd. I sat at the computer to look for places and crunch numbers, but nothing ever seemed right. In Christian circles we’d say I didn’t have peace about it.
We decided to postpone Disney until the spring. It would probably be too much since I was going to Dallas later in the month for the conference anyway.
It didn’t hurt that we hadn’t spent that money when our sewer backed up in the basement while I was gone.
That was fun to come home to, a dug up front lawn and displaced basement. My wife was a real trooper dealing with it while I was hanging out with writers. Not fun, but it would have been much worse if we’d spent a few thousand dollars a couple of weeks prior. It worked out.
Now we’re heading toward November. One of our family’s favorite artists is TobyMac. Even my four year old loves him. And the Winter Jam tour was bringing him and several other acts to Boise. Sounds like a good time for a weekend road trip. I got the time off from work and everything.
Then my wife and I talked about the details. It was going to conflict with some other events. We could do it, but it would be tough. The concert didn’t require tickets purchased ahead of time, so we scrapped the plans. Again, it wasn’t only the schedule – we didn’t have peace about it. It wasn’t what we were supposed to do.
I also thought about participating in NaNo this year. I haven’t had good luck with it before, but on October 30th I wondered if it would be a good idea to get something out there. I did a trial on Halloween, writing 600 words of gutter trash and realizing (hopefully for good) that NaNo just doesn’t work for me. Anyway – I decided against that too.
Both of these lost opportunities turned out to be a good thing.
You know how there are always contests where people win trips and crazy things. Do you ever hear of anyone winning those? Not me…
Until November 1st.
When I got a call at lunch while at work, I didn’t expect the following:
“Do you remember the Facebook contest you entered to win tickets to the Boise State/Hawaii game on Oahu? Because you won. You and a guest will be going to Honolulu next week. What do you have to say?”
My response: I guess I need a babysitter!
We actually won a trip to Hawaii! It does happen. (Now everyone is flocking to Facebook to like every contest they can find. Who knows, it could happen to you?)
These are little things in the scheme of life – not going to a concert or postponing a vacation. Why would God be speaking to us about such things?
He cares about His people. He cares about the little things. He speaks to His children today. He knows the future.
I’m thankful that we didn’t go to Disneyland. I want the experience with my family, but September would have been a disaster. It was bad enough as it was, but we had the money cushion to deal with it.
I’m thankful we didn’t go to Winter Jam. A bunch of our friends went and had a blast. I’m sorry my kids missed out. But…I think I’ll take a once in a lifetime trip to Hawaii over that.
I know there are people out there still recovering from Superstorm Sandy or going through other horrible things in life. Why is God doing these little things for me when others have such huge issues in front of them?
I don’t fully know. We all have our storms in life. I’ve had mine. So has my wife. There are seasons to everything. I know Jesus weeps with those who have lost much and wants them to turn to Him. He brings blessings to the believer and the non-believer. Storms can hit the righteous and the wicked.
As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, I’m thankful that my God is holy, wise, and loves me enough to give me a nudge in the right direction when I can’t see the pothole or pot of gold just around the bend.
Mahalo Lord.
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