New CSFF blogroll and what it's for

Early in my blog writing life, I found out about this blogging event called the Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy blog tour. Each month the leader of the blog tour would arrange for us to get a free copy of a Christian science fiction or fantasy book and we would read it and review it on three specific days.

In those days you could go to a site called Technorati and see how our all blogging on the same day had made that book into a Trending Topic.  Doesn't work quite that way now, and the CSFF hasn't had a blog tour since last December.

I met a lot of good bloggers over the years doing that and some have become friends. So I decided to go over to the CSFF blog and start adding the blogs of participants and former participants that still have active blogs.

Joining this blogroll: If you have ever participated in the Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy blog tour, I will probably be adding you anyway. Comment on this post and tell me when you participated and what your blog link is and I will add you. If you never participated before, you can join up but the blog tour doesn't happen very often any more. (I will investigate and see if the blog tour can be revived with more help.)

Eye of the Sword blog tour, right here!

This is my blog, I built this!

Eye of the Sword by Karyn Henley, the subject of this month's blog tour, seems to be everything I want in reading material, a nice fantasy, by a Christian author so the likelihood of anti-Christian bigotry-rants is reduced to zero, and it starts out promisingly....

But for whatever reason I could not bring myself to read on, reading a number of other books, including my first-ever Western genre novel, instead (The Goodnight Trail by Ralph Compton). That happens to me sometimes when I have a book I'm expected to read in a certain amount of time--- I just don't get in the mood to let the book hook me, no matter how good the beginning is. Has that ever happened to you?

One symptom that this book is not for me right now is the way I keep obsessing about the book's title. Swords don't have eyes. Needles have eyes. Cyclopses have eyes--- one per customer. But swords? No eyes.

Want to know what Eye of the Sword is about from some people who actually know? Try some of these links. (Caution, one of these links is connected to a wormhole leading to a zombie apocalypse, so if you aren't careful you may get your brain eaten.)


Julie Bihn Thomas Fletcher Booher Keanan Brand Beckie Burnham Jackie Castle Brenda Castro Jeff Chapman Christine Theresa Dunlap Cynthia Dyer Victor Gentile Ryan Heart Janeen Ippolito Jason Joyner Carol Keen Emileigh Latham Rebekah Loper Shannon McDermott Karen McSpadden Meagan @ Blooming with Books Rebecca LuElla Miller Anna Mittower Mirriam Neal Nissa Faye Oygard Nathan Reimer Chawna Schroeder Kathleen Smith Donna Swanson Jessica Thomas Steve Trower Shane Werlinger Phyllis Wheeler

And now, before I get back to wrangling a passel of wild new-weaned lambs into pens, here is some essential information about Eye of the Sword and its author:
 
Book link - http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Sword-Novel-Angelaeon-Circle/dp/030773014X/ (or some other link of your choice) Author’s Web site - http://www.karynhenleyfiction.com/Karyn_Henley_Fiction/welcome.html Author Blog - http://www.maybeso.wordpress.com/ Author Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Karyn-Henley/140411189331787?v=wall

Facebook Group for Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy

On PromoDay I've been learning more about using Facebook to promote your blog or book. Participation in appropriate Facebook groups was recommended.

I haven't done Facebook groups much, though I'm in one and active in it. I thought it might be good to start one up for Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy writers and readers, and so I did: Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers and Readers.

Hope we can get some good folks to join up to talk about good books, writing and the like. If it gets to be a significant and active group, it could be a real help to writers in promoting their books and blogs, and help readers find books they might like to read and authors they might like to interact with.

So--- check out the new group, join it, share it with your Facebook friends, blog about it, and before long we'll have conquered the galaxy! But in a good way.

Why Christian Fiction Needs More Violence

Recently I've heard a lot of critics of 'The Hunger Games' say that both the books and the movie are 'too violent'. Sadly, even Christians have jumped on that bandwagon.

Christian fiction has a rep of being the opposite of violent. Bland romances in Amish or Prairie settings with nothing to do with the real world.

But should Christian fiction be like that? The Bible is violent--- from the murder of Abel to the wars in the book of Revelation (which is really all about the Eucharist, but still...). History is violent--- Masada, World War III, I mean II.... Mythology is violent--- remember that proto-god who ate all his children? Even peaceful anti-war protests often turn violent.

Violence is necessary to good fiction because fiction is about conflict. And it's hard to have serious conflict if there is no actual or threatened violence. Would we have been mesmerized by the Harry Potter series if Lord Voldemort had been threatening to lower Harry's grades rather than threatening to kill Harry?

The need for violence in fiction is an evidence of Man's fallen nature, as taught in the Christian apostolic tradition (which includes the Bible). Because there is so much violence around us, conflicts without a hint of violence possible strike us as bland, trivial. We don't buy mystery novels where the mystery involves finding a lost Latin missal in time for next Sunday's Latin Mass--- since the prospect of someone going to Latin Mass without their own missal and having to use the Latin Mass booklet provided doesn't thrill us the way the threat of murder does.

This does not mean that every Christian science fiction or fantasy series has to include a character-bloodbath like the ones at the end of Harry Potter or Left Behind, or the recent one in the BBC TV series Being Human. Character bloodbaths are harder for the Christian reader/author because most of us are firmly part of the culture of life and want every human life respected from conception until natural death. Which makes us worry about staging a massive character bloodbath, or even worry about reading one.

I think it's no mystery why the Left Behind apocalyptic fiction series broke out of the Christian fiction ghetto and onto secular best-seller lists. The Left Behind series is not only Christian fiction, but it's centered on a theological belief--- the Rapture theory--- that the majority of the world's Christians believe is invalid. One would think it would not only repel secular readers but most Christians. But it sold, because it was set in a world where the main characters were under threat of death all the time as the Antichrist, Nikolai Carpathia, took power. In fact, several of the important Christian characters did die before the final battle. And this is what made the conflict in the story real and compelling to the reader.

Christian science fiction and fantasy, like Pagan science fiction and fantasy, or secular science fiction and fantasy, have to reflect the real world. Perhaps our worlds will have elves with enchanted spears or semi-Roman emperors with laser swords instead of Crips and Bloods with guns. But there has to be violence--- or at least the implied threat of violence--- to show that the conflict in the story matters.

The Realms Thereunder by Ross Lawhead

As young teens, Daniel Tully and Freya Reynolds went missing and discovered a world few know is real. After returning, life went on, but they were not left unmarked. Freya, a university student, has symptoms of OCD. Daniel is now homeless. And the strange world they once shared is bleeding into our own in dangerous ways....

Aftermath

How many books have I read where young people are whisked off into strange and dangerous worlds, and then come home with no aftereffects? I've always been interested in the effect of adventures on the adventurers. As a child I'd make up stories based on the aftermath of Star Trek episodes, and how the crew were traumatized by such things as the death of a redshirt.

The Realms Thereunder starts with two characters who have already had a big adventure and are marked by it. I like that. It shows that actions have consequences. Very realistic.

The Realms Thereunder also has a rune poem in it. Next time, if there is a next time, I will compare it to the traditional rune poems that I learned back when I was a Norse Pagan.

Routine government-demanded disclaimer:
I did NOT receive a review copy of this book, but bought a Kindle copy out of my own very tiny money supply. Even if I HAD received a review copy, the First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees that I am under no obligation to mention it.

Write a Christian Poem for Lent!
Not a poet? Only a beginning writer? No matter! You are still invited to show your love for Jesus by writing a Christian poem this Lent. You don't have to be from a church that does Lent to qualify---- Protestants, Catholics, Evangelicals, Latter Day Saints and other followers of Christ are welcome.

Any style of poem is accepted, modern, traditional, words picked out of hats..... Contest is open NOW, for more details see Opium Cactus: Write a Christian Poem for Lent contest.

Book link -  http://www.amazon.com/Realms-Thereunder-Ancient-Earth/dp/1595549099/ (or some other link of your choice)
Author’s Web site  -  http://www.rosslawhead.com/blog/

Visit the blog tour links and find the many strange hidden objects I have placed on other tour members' blogs:

Gillian Adams V
Red Bissell
Keanan Brand V
Beckie Burnham V
Melissa Carswell
Jeff Chapman Niðergeard
CSFF Blog Tour
Theresa Dunlap
Emmalyn Edwards
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan V
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Rebekah Loper
Marzabeth
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller V
Mirriam Neal
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Joan Nienhuis
Crista Richey
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder V
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren V
Dona Watson
Shane Werlinger
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant
Thomas Clayton Booher
Janeen Ippolito V

Interview with Syzygy author Amanda Borenstadt

Don't call them werewolves. The Fir Na Gealaí in Amanda Borenstadt's urban fantasy novel Syzygy have a lot in common with werewolves, including having their 'time of the month', but you aren't supposed to call them werewolves.

Author Amanda Borenstadt shares her experiences in writing and publishing Syzygy.

Why did you choose the publisher you did and what were your experiences with the publisher?

I chose to self publish with Smashwords.com and Amazon.com. I queried agents for a while, but couldn't find anyone interested. Many are not taking new writers and I hadn't a thing to my name when I began. Now I have several short stories published, so perhaps it would be a different story. Who knows? I love Smashwords. They made it so simple. I ran into a technical glitch but Mark Coker, the Smashwords founder himself, helped me fix it. I'm very pleased. And their site is easy to use. Amazon gives a writer more exposure, but it doesn't feel as intimate. Both have their place in the world.

What are your three favorite books?

Tough to narrow down. I sometimes say my favorite book is whatever I'm reading at the time. LOL

My nine-year-old twins and I just discovered The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley. I get a kick out of fairy tale spin-offs. My all time bread and butter book is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. I can pick it up any time and smile. And for my last one, I'll pick, C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. I was fortunate enough to see that performed live. It was the coolest!

What are your three favorite authors?

Once again, only three? Okay. Tolkien, Karina Fabian, Douglas Adams, and Neil Gaiman. Oops, that's four. ;)

In your mind, what is your book about?
Good question. I think the running theme is love- all sorts: friendship (the real and true kind), romantic love, parental love, and loving your neighbor. It's about people reaching outside of their safety zone to trust and become trustworthy. It even touches lightly on loving God. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but one character reveals they might be called to a religious vocation.


What modern fiction books have some similarities to your book?

This is the toughest question because- number one- I don't know that I'm good enough to compare myself to anybody else and -number two- I don't know of anything like Syzygy.

I asked a couple readers what they thought and they came up with books they said it wasn't like- which means they must hold some resemblance to Syzygy. Rachel Hawthorne's Dark Guardian series was mentioned. I think what people are doing is thinking "werewolf society."

I don't even have werewolves, just a race that's not entirely unlike werewolves. Also James Patterson's Maximum Ride. Loved it, but no. It's not like that.

One writer friend mentioned it weaves ethical dilemma and moral obligation with action and suspense like Animorphs by K.A. Applegate. Hmm, never would have thought of that. I'll take her word.

I searched for something else like it when I was trying to decide what genre to put it into. Romance is only a one portion of what Syzygy is about, but it is a paranormal romance.

It's a fantasy set in an urban environment, but it's not as full of fantasy as many of the other urban fantasies. The characters deal with some very human issues. It deals with serious stuff like depression and self harm and yet it has a lot of humor.


What do you think is the strong point of your book?

My characters feel genuine. People tell me they become attached to them. Each has real growth during the novel. One lady says she's simply in love with Finn. LOL


What do you think is the weak point of your book?

It's not as well polished as it could be in places. The overall plot is not air tight.

What writing project are you working on next?

Aside from the occasional short story, I'm writing a novel called "Twelve Keys" which will be heavily illustrated by my niece, Jasmine, who did the cover art for Syzygy. It's set in a sort of post apocalyptic time warped California where old time California is fused with modern California.


Why did you call it 'Syzygy'? How do you say 'Syzygy'? If you use the word 'syzygy' while playing Hangman, will you always win?

LOL Super questions. It went through several name changes. The most recent was To Be Human, but as you know, they came up with a TV show called Being Human. I didn't want to appear as a copycat, so I changed it. Some of the teenagers in my life voted for Syzygy. There's a humorous line in the book, "Hey baby, what's your syzygy?" which they liked.

Syzygy (SIZZ-uh-jee). The term as it's used in the novel refers to the new or full moon. As to the last question, well, if I were playing, no. I would lose. The other player would guess for sure because I do tend to go on and on about my book. LOL


Amanda Borenstadt's blog: A Fortnight of Mustard




Fans of urban fantasy will probably like the BBC TV series Being Human
Being Human: Season 1
Being Human: Season Two

Shirt-tail relatives of this blog post (with werewolves):
BBC's Being Human
Doctor Who: Queen Elizabeth I mystery solved!


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