Tuesday, March 17, 2009


BLOG TOUR - DAY 2
Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow
by The Miller Brother

The Miller Brothers’ Web site - http://www.codebearers.com/
the Miller Brothers’ blog - http://themillerbrothers.blogspot.com/
(Click book for Amazon link)

The Journey of Hunter Brown, or How He Learned to Fight the Shadow with his Mind and Spirit.
Hunter Brown begins the story with a small serving of spunk and daring, and ends with a heaping dose of courage and resourcefulness. Along the way he learns about the Author and about the Author's Writ, a book Hunter receives at an old bookstore that disappears when he and his friends return. The Author's Writ contains teachings of the Author which it seems everyone but Hunter know. The book has another trait. Hunter receives odd visions of another world as he reads book passages. Hunter first learns about the origin of the world's curse as he watches a boy his age steal a stone from the trunk of a giant tree.

Hunter is thrown from the vision into another vision of a zombie version of his school. His friends walk around with black, glassy-eyed stares. Later a black-eyed version of himself glares back from a foggy bathroom mirror. Some scenes with black blood and evil monsters killing the good guys might be a bit intense for younger readers, while older middle-school readers will enjoy the gross factor of working as leech bait for a swamp troll.

This is a new part of Hunter's growth. He learned humbleness and how to wield his Veritas sword at the Codebearer training grounds. When captured by a huge swamp troll and thrown into his dungeon, Hunter must learn hope through faith even in hopeless circumstances. A chance message reminds Hunter of a verse from the Author's Writ. But when he finds the goal, it doesn't make sense and he must act purely on faith to escape a monster closing in on Hunter's location. Each choice made lays the groundwork for future actions.

Hunter loses Stretch early in the story after crossing the portal. Stretch changes too, but he acts as a contrast to Hunter's growth. Stretch, the eternal optimist, becomes moody and defeated after the trauma he survives. Stretch just wants to eat normal food again and return home no matter what the cost. Hunter attempts to convince Stretch that all he has heard is a combination of lies and false promises. But Stretch tunes out all but what he longs to hear, whether it harms him or not. These are all strong marking points along Hunter's character growth path. There are more as Hunter learns he must put others' needs before his own if he is ever to defeat the Shadow and return home. If he fails to lead as the Chosen then all hope is lost, for his return home, and for this new world he inhabits. No Pressure.
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Monday, March 16, 2009


BLOG TOUR - DAY 1
Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow
by The Miller Brother

The Miller Brothers’ Web site - http://www.codebearers.com/
the Miller Brothers’ blog - http://themillerbrothers.blogspot.com/
(Click book for Amazon link)

The Miller Brothers, Christopher and Allan, combined their skills to create a great allegorical story about a boy who finds there is more to life than just escaping the school bully after pulling pranks, or playing video games. After the substitute janitor frees Hunter and his friends from the school dumpster, things run from bad to worse. Hunter picks up an old book at a bookstore that disappears. Then, while looking in the bathroom mirror and at the book, he sees things he knows aren't there. The scary thing is Hunter and his friend, Stretch, find out things do exist beyond what the eye may see. And much of the unseen works for our harm.

Once the eyes of Hunter and Stretch are opened, they find dispirits are chasing them, and they must find a way out of their trap to safety. The Miller Brothers have created an interesting world populated by creatures like the already mentioned dispirits, and gorewings, swamp trolls, a probe dragon, and a scrill. Of course the good guys aren't forgotten with their weapons like the veritas sword - these are like an energy saber that also has healing powers, or the amazing thunderbird named Faith.

Tomorrow, I'll mention Hunter's journey of both the physical kind, and his more important spiritual journey. Unless he learns some basic truths about the Author and his word, Hunter can never hope to defeat the Shadows.
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Sunday, February 22, 2009

A New, for Me, 30 Day Challenge - ScriptFrenzy


ScriptFrenzy is brought to you by those nice people at NaNoWriMo. In the ScriptFrenzy challenge your goal is to create 100 pages of script within 30 days. I've never written a script before, so this is really a challenge for me. FirstDraft is an industry standard script writing program, but the cost is a bit more than I want to pay for a first attempt. Instead, I'm using Celtx, a free open-source program, to write and format my first script. Celtx is available for Windows, OS X, Linux, and eeePC formats.

ScriptFrenzy begins Aprl 1st, and runs throughout the month.




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Thursday, February 19, 2009



What I'm reading now:

Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow


http://www.amazon.com/Hunter-Brown-Secret-Shadow-Codebearers/dp/1593173288/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235066554&sr=1-1





Just started this YA Christian fantasy book by the Miller Brothers. So far it looks good. The pages are tinted to look like an old book, and each chapter includes a Miller Brothers illustration.
The 3-D style cover looks like a video game iamge, and is different from most other covers on the shelf. This should appeal to YA readers brought up on video games and 3-D graphic artists. The story starts out strong with a prank on the school bully, then pulls you in with a vision by the main character. The descriptive visions may get readers thinking about how actions really do influence you and others.

The blog tour, and more information about Hunter Brown, begins next month. I'm looking forward to more of this story. It's an enjoyable fantasy story with a strong lesson for readers of all ages. Seems like a good combination.
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009



BLOG TOUR - DAY 3

Cyndere's Midnight
by Jeffrey Overstreet

Web site - http://lookingcloser.org/

(Click book for Amazon link)


On this last blog day for Cyndere's Midnight I wanted to discuss the secrets brought to light by the book's end. Darkness hides secrets and title seems to hint at the secrets of the Midnight hour. One that was missing is found, but he is changed. One that was changed through contact with Auralia's colors, and Cyndere's help , helped the one feared lost. A true friend is murdered by one who had already betrayed a deep trust. Feared lost after the great battle with the beastmen, Cyndere returns to Bel Amica with a clearer mind for her purpose.
In the epilogue, it is mentioned again that the four great houses were once united but a great rift developed and each house went their separate way.

By the end of Cyndere's Midnight the loose ends are tied up, not all the way the reader had hoped, as more questions are asked and hinted at for answers in the next book. Book three of the series continue the golden strand of The Auralia Thread, entitled Cal-raven's ladder. Cyndere's Midnight weaves the blue strand of the tales. I wasn't quite sure what the author meant by the strand colors, unless the next strand is a strand of hope much like a golden sunrise.

Secrets are gradually revealed in Cyndere's Midnight, like a slowly woven fabric reveals the pattern over time. Some characters receive justice for their crimes, while others keep committing injustice so that you wonder when their crimes will be brought to light. By the end of Cyndere's Midnight it seems the common secret bond between Cyndere the future Queen, and Jordam the beastman, has formed and strengthened so that each helps the other. Both characters grow and learn to overcome their losses with each other's aid.
The book seems to end with a promise of hope that the characters will accomplish their goals. Things won't go perfectly, you will lose much along the way, but in the end things will come together and work for the best.
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009



BLOG TOUR - DAY 2

Cyndere's Midnight
by Jeffrey Overstreet

Web site - http://lookingcloser.org/

(Click book for Amazon link)

Cyndere's Midnight deals with change both inner and outer. The Ale Boy from Auralia's Colors has a mission to help people and has earned the name Rescue because he has saved so many lost souls and led them to safety at the new Abascar. In Abascar the new King, cal-Raven, has grown more mature of necessity. Fellow members of fallen Abascar now look to him for leadership, and to provide their basic needs. Cal-Raven has changed from a life of ease in the palace to a life of hardship and shortage, due in large part to choices made by his family.
Jordam the beastman feels the stirrings of change after his contact in Auralia's cave with the beautiful colors she merged and wove together. Now, his contact with Cyndere may change Jordam more than expected; a change into more humanity and less beastman. Cyndere has changed as her hopes and dreams for the future are replaced by the knowledge that Bel Amica is soon her responsibilty. Jordam and Cyndere are both changed from the outside-in by the healing waters of the forest well. At first the well water heals the beastman trap wounds, but over time the water seems to begin the healing process of their spirits.
Cyndere's Midnight characters seemed trapped in the dark before the dawn. Things spiral out of control with no save in sight. But the story seemed to point out that no matter where you are in life, even at your lowest point, there is a plan under way. Like the woven items of Auralia's Colors, you can't see how the final result's beauty until it is finished. Small seeds planted in the past may blossom into something better, like Jordam meeting Auralia and confusing Cyndere with her. Past actions may bloom into weeds too. Like the beastmens' addiction to Essence though it curses their body and soul. The dawn follows after the midnight. For some, like the beastmen, dawn continues in perpetual darkness. For others, like Cyndere and Jordam, dawn heralds a bright new day with new opportunities as the night changes into day.
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Monday, February 16, 2009



BLOG TOUR - DAY 1



Cyndere's Midnight
by Jeffrey Overstreet

Web site - http://lookingcloser.org/

(Click book for Amazon link)

Like the title, Cyndere's Midnight comes across with a darker tone than Auralia's Colors. In this book, the second in the series, many of the characters deal with loss of some type. Cyndere, the future heir to the kingdom of Bel Amica, planned to help the vicious beastmen with her husband Deuneroi. When a group of beastmen kill Deuneroi, Cyndere spirals down into a feeling of loss and questions of her future. What will she do now, and what difference will it really make?
Jordam is seperated from his brothers, the very ones who killed Deuneroi. His loss is a feeling of pack seperation at first, and then from a drink known as the Essence which provides the beastmen with superhuman strength and speed. The Essence also provides long life, but all of these benefits are at a cost, for each beastman has loss their humanity and taken on the curse of madness.


The people of Abascar, from Auralia's Colors, have lost their capitol and their identity. Now their young king must rebuild their country anew in the mountains where they hide from their attackers and the memory of great Abascar's fall. All have lost family, home, and friends, and now must strive to survive the harsh Winter.
Like his previous book in the series, Jeffrey Overstreet has created a foreign landscape rich in detail and texture. Maybe because of the tone, the story seems to delve deep into charcter's pain and emotion. Each faced loss and carries the pain inside. The strange beastman, Jordam, while vicious because of his life and the Essence, has moments of near humanity through his contact with Auralia. The story draws you in, and leaves you wondering how you might respond in the same circumstances.
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Sunday, February 15, 2009

A Business Software Collection that Works for Your Writing Expenses

http://www.softwareoutlet.com has a business software collection entitled PCWorks Suite Pro 2008 available for $30 plus shipping. I received the DVD five days after ordering. A few of the programs are very good for the price - the 2007 version of ACT! (a contact management program) and Peachtree First Accounting 2008. Five of the Serif software line are included - PagePlus X2, PhotoPlus 11, DrawPlus 8, PanaramaPlus 3, and WebPlus 10. OffiecReady included three programs - OfficeReady Professional, BusinessPlans, and MarketingPlans.

Some programs I wasn't sure about using at first like TurboProject Professional. I wanted software that would help track and plan my writing. TurboProject allows you to plan multiple projects, and this will work great for larger writing projects that require research and preplanning to finish on time. ACT! will help track manuscript submittals and the related contacts. It includes a calendar, and a timer that saves to your calendar. The timer is a handy addition for any one writing freelance that needs to track their time.

All in all there are 25 programs. Some are good, some are fair, and some are older programs you can update online like OpenOffice 2.2, Thunderbird, and Sunbird. Any documentation is available from program support or online. The DVD case contains a DVD full of programs and a license key card for programs that require a license key registration. I won't use all the progrmas on the disc, but many will be a helpful addition to my writing software needs.
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Wednesday, February 04, 2009


BLOG TOUR - DAY 3 (Belated)



(Click book for Amazon link)

In The Book of Names, Hadyn and Ewan Barlow learn each has a special and distinct gift.
Ewan can see the Fey Folk, or Fairies, and used a small flute pipe to open the portal. Hadyn
senses the true names of things, and is able to release their group when locked up. The book title, Book of Names, refers to a huge series of scrolls in which every person that existed or will exist is recorded. This struck me as similar to the Book in Revelation in which every believer's name is recorded. In the same manner, everyone is important.

The Book of Names has developed blank sections as the children are led away by Nemesia who would punish the world for her loss, by taking children away from their families and with them, their identities. Similar to modern society, the children are told they are worthless to all, and may only gain their freedom and gain worth by becoming part of the larger group Nemesia commands. The misled children lose their souls and their joy in their march to oblivion under Nemesia's control. Losing sight of their faith, and believing those who wish them harm, is a sure path to pain and suffering. I saw this aspect of the Book of Names as a reflection of how following the wrong leader in our culture might cause despair and sorrow.

Haydn and Ewan must overcome their own sorrow, and a bit of anger for their past, if they are to survive and help one another. Nemesia plays on this loss and feelings of anger to subdue Ewan and try to bring about the fall of her world into true darkness. The spirits of darkness, the Mismyri, would attack the light and the good of Aion, much like temptations would led us astray and bring us to misery. The brothers learn that only a faith in Aion will get them through the dangers encountered. It's up to them to save this world from Nemesia's plan if they ever hope to return.
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Tuesday, January 20, 2009


BLOG TOUR - DAY 2



(Click book for Amazon link)

In The Book of Names, D. Barley Briggs introduces the concept of three religious branches, Black, Gray, and White, that operate independently of each other. Each group stands for following and emphasising a different characteristic of their creator.


The Gray Abbey works to balance the other two branches, White and Black, in their actions and try to moderate and work in harmony. The White Abbey has two main purposes, to learn all of the Book of Law, and to keep and protect the Book of names. Studious, serious and unbending, the White Abbey members see themselves as Stewards of the Truth, and are quick to inform others of any wrongs. By contrast, The Black Abbey follows the Way of Mystery, and seek to learn the unknowable secrets of Aion, The Creator. Rather than focus on logic, and strict adherence to written Laws, the Black Abbey strives to peacefully use rituals and power to fight the darkness through mystical means.


This struck me as the way many people view religion - either caught up mysticism and symbology, or legalistic and unyielding. Both extremes began with good intentions, but devolved over time into thinking only their way contains the path to true enlightenment. The Grays strive for a happy median, seeing good in both views. In fact, it is the Grays who become the strongest allies of Haydn and Ewan, while the other two factions get caught up in petty squabbles over who is the most correct and so the most important.
D. Barkley Briggs illustrates this point in a non-condemning way. Much like the world of Korac Tor, the different religious factions of our world have lost sight of the fact that we're on the same side. By dividing the Black, White, and Gray Abbeys among themselves, their common foe weakened what should have been a strong, unified front.

D. Barkley Briggs seems to have woven a modern parable into this story of a far away land.
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Monday, January 19, 2009


BLOG TOUR - DAY 1




(Click book for Amazon link)

D. Barkley Briggs manages to weave a tale of Celtic, Norse, and a bit of Welsh legends into a story that begins innocently enough with clearing out brush at an old farm. The two oldest sons, Haydyn and Ewan Barlow, were recently transplanted here with their father and younger twin brothers after the death of their mother from a prolonged illness.
Questioning their faith at times after their painful loss, Haydyn and Ewan wonder why their father has moved their family out in the middle of nowhere, away from friends, school, and job. Clearing the mounds of brush in the field seems pointless to the brothers, and they begin creating tunnels and openings through the brambles to pass the time. One day, a side tunnel leads them to discover a carved stone arch deep inside the bramble pile.

Mr. Briggs story made me stop and think. In our complex world, sometimes a change of scenery is needed to start us down a different path. We often can't even glimpse the big picture, much like the Barlow brothers and their family, and question what has happened. In their case, the move brought them to where they needed to be so that great things might be worked through them.
The author does a nice job developing the feeling of desperation and frustration. A feeling echoed by children in the land Haydyn and Ewan must help by overcoming the feeling first in themselves, and later in the nameless ones.
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Wednesday, December 31, 2008


LOST GENRE GUILD - Blog Tour Day 3
Promoting and supporting biblical speculative fiction since 2006

"The Lost Genre Guild's mission is to raise the awareness and respect for Biblical speculative fiction, and to encourage, educate and support the writers of such fiction."

Website: http://www.lostgenreguild.com/


This the third and final day for the Lost Genre Guild Tour. Today I wanted to mention some of the member sites, and a few of my favorite stories so far from the group. Yesterday I listed the biblical speculative anthology, Light at the Edge of Darkness. My favorite story in the book is "Your Average Ordinary Alien" by Adam Graham. As a Trekkie, the story is hilarious.
Here is an except: YAOA
Adam and his wife, Andrea, both write and you can find their stories in
Laser and Sword Magazine

Another Lost Genre Guild member whose stories I enjoy reading is Karina Fabian. She writes about Vern, the small troubleshooting dragon stuck on Earth in Dragon Eye P.I. The Vern stories have a good sense of humor and lots of interesting characters.

Other fine Guild authors include:

Steve Doyle
www.doylebooks.com
http://doylebooks.blogspot.com

Brandon Barr
http://www.brandonbarr.com
http://christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com

Michael Lynch
http://www.mikelynchbooks.com
http://www.mikelynchbooks.blogspot.com

Jim and Paulette Harris
http://www.pauletteharris.biz
http://comeandsitawhile.blogspot.com

Whether you read or write biblical speculative fiction, you won't go wrong with the Lost Genre Guild and its members. It's a great group to go to for information and support.




*Participants’ Links:

Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Grace Bridges
Valerie Comer
Courtney
Frank Creed
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Lost Genre Guild
Mike Lynch
Magma
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Mirtika
Hanna Sandvig
James Somers
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Timothy Wise
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008


LOST GENRE GUILD - Blog Tour Day 2
Promoting and supporting biblical speculative fiction since 2006

"The Lost Genre Guild's mission is to raise the awareness and respect for Biblical speculative fiction, and to encourage, educate and support the writers of such fiction."

Website: http://www.lostgenreguild.com/


On day two of the Lost Genre Guild Tour I wanted to discuss a few of the book titles and the founder's site. I first heard about the Lost Genre Guild through another member a few months before release of a speculative anthology entitled, Light at the Edge of Darkness. The book contained stories about aliens, time travel, a vengeful angel, ghosts, and bleak tales of the future. Here at last I found other people who enjoyed a good fantasy, science fiction, or horror story. And they were Christian authors. I was hooked.



The next book I heard about from the Lost Genre guild was Flashpoint by founder Frank Creed.
Frank's book reminded me of Bladerunner meets the Bible. In the future churches have moved underground and it's up to the Sandmen to show others a different path for their life. Of course the Sandmen have weapons to defend themselves and protect the innocent, but without the usual bloodbath you've come to expect from a techno-thriller.

Both books told the kind of stories I enjoyed reading. They didn't come across as rehashed Sunday School stories, but they weren't filled with gratuitous voilence or bedroom scenes either.
Lost Genre Guild stories provide a happy medium between the two extremes.

Frank Creed, kindly answered a question about upcoming Lost Genre Guild style books:

As one of the Lost genre Guild founders, would you like to mention any upcoming speculative fiction books you, or other members, will release in the coming months? Any word on a release date for Flashpoint II - War of Attrition? My son and I are looking forward to reading the sequel.

 This will take a couple days to answer—I’ve been on a no-mail status for a few weeks now. My own War of attrition and Forever Richard are forthcoming this spring—no dates yet. Terri Main’s Creative Calisthenics and Marcher Lord Press’ new releases are about to pop. How bout I comment with more on this news?

Thanks again, Mr. Creed.



Day three of the Lost Genre Guild Blog brings information about other Guild members, their sites, and books you might also enjoy.


*Participants’ Links:

Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Grace Bridges
Valerie Comer
Courtney
Frank Creed
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Lost Genre Guild
Mike Lynch
Magma
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Mirtika
Hanna Sandvig
James Somers
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Timothy Wise
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Monday, December 29, 2008


LOST GENRE GUILD - Blog Tour Day 1
Promoting and supporting biblical speculative fiction since 2006

"The Lost Genre Guild's mission is to raise the awareness and respect for Biblical speculative fiction, and to encourage, educate and support the writers of such fiction."

Website: http://www.lostgenreguild.com/


The Lost Genre Guild is a writing group that provides moral support, a ear to listen, and sometimes, when needed, a shoulder to lean on, for biblical speculative writers. Members have found a group of kindred spirits in the Lost Genre Guild. If you enjoy stories a little outside the norm - fantasy, science fiction, horror, or suspense - and told from a biblical perspectibe, the Lost Genre Guild is group for you.


Group founder, Frank Creed, kindly offered to answer a few questions about the Lost Genre Guild and it's purposes:

What is the purpose behind the Lost Genre Guild and when was the group formed?

I'd planned on starting the Lost Genre Guild in early summer, 2006. Then I got wrapped up in what was then called Daniel I Weaver’s anthology project—now known as Light at the Edge of Darkness—an anthology of Christian speculative fiction. All the submitting authors worked together through a series of scheduled critique rounds that extended into September of that year. Great memories and results; the anthology landed a 2007 Top-Ten Predators and Editors Award. After the writers helped improve each other's fiction, we moved the enthusiasm from a critique group to the Lost Genre Guild's private newsgroup.
Light at the Edge of Darkness seventeen contributors all needed to promote the short stories we’d just polished, but the Lost Genre Guild's primary focus has always been raising public awareness of Christian sci-fi, horror, and fantasy.
The literary mark of speculative fiction is complete creativity of settings and characters. Such creativity can be easily utilized to explore social issues and themes. A college textbook titled Thought Probes: Philosophy through Science Fiction literature calls science "fiction the hand-maiden of worldviews". Atheism has dominated science-fiction literature, and L. Ron Hubbard even used it to start his own religion. As a lifelong fan of CS Lewis and speculative fiction, my many hours wasted in Christian bookstores in search of my favorite fiction became a chip I still carry on my shoulder. Why Christian publishers completely ignored such a powerful fiction-ministry baffled me. Those interested in reading more on this topic might enjoy the following essay: http://tinyurl.com/5dygz8

Would you mind mentioning a few of the many benefits a LGG member might enjoy?

The heart of our community is a private newsgroup. We have public group forums at MySpace, and Shoutlife. There have been announcements on http://frankcreed.proboards.com/index.cgi but we now have a brand-new lost genre Guild forum that includes a private critique group. Can ya’ say “busy”? The passion has finally found a public home. Check out http://lostgenreguild.com/phpBB3
We have chat and secondlife.com virtual reality Web shows as well, but a Canadian sport called curling gets more spectators. 8 (


How many writers, readers, and editors of Christian speculative fiction are currently members?

 Promoting our genre is a steady and slow effort, but it definitely helps that our membership now includes most of the artists listed at Jeff Gerke’s wherethemapends.com, many writers and editors from Bill Snodgrass’ Double Edged Publishing, and Rebecca Miller’s Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour. I won't violate the Guild's privacy policy by name-dropping, but we are 133 members strong. I had hoped that fans would take the opportunity to hang out with their favorite writers, but we’ve few straight-up fans. Our membership hails from all aspects of Christian publishing.

How might interested readers and writers apply to join its ranks?

Were one to Google Lost Genre Guild and senses that it be a good fit, the home page at http://lostgenreguild.com and our ABOUT sidebar link explore membership. To join, one simply has to send me a message indicating their interest, by using the CONTACT link. There has only been one anti-Christian try to be tricky and infiltrate, but he ran a weak game and got bored quick. This simple method has kept spammers away, and our privacy policy ensures security. We're just one little cell in the Body of Christ, and the only things really needed is passion and enthusiasm with which to encourage others in our community.

Thank you, Mr. Creed.

Day two of the Lost Genre Guild Blog brings more information about the founder and a few books the group helped promote.





*Participants’ Links:

Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Grace Bridges
Valerie Comer
Courtney
Frank Creed
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Lost Genre Guild
Mike Lynch
Magma
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Mirtika
Hanna Sandvig
James Somers
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Timothy Wise

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Sunday, December 28, 2008

After trying Coach Culbertson's podcast, Write a Book in 30 Days, I'm happy with the purchase. Each day Coach Culbertson covers a new topic, and lists how many words you should have written to reach your goal within the thirty days. Many of the pod casts include helpful suggested sites, or writing aids, which add to the value of the series. On day 11, Coach mentions using visualization to make your scenes or characters come to life for you. He goes on to list a few image sites that will give you a better idea how a character or place should look. You can refer back to these images as you write the description.

He also suggests ways to overcome distractions, map out your storyline and details, combat writer's block, and take notes so that you don't forget your ideas at inconvenient places.
This podcast series contains a lot of good material for writing help which Coach Culbertson presents in an entertaining way. The series price is $39.95 and will contain current and future material.
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Saturday, November 22, 2008

Coach Culbertson's site, Write a Book in 30 Days provides a thirty day journey to finishing your book in thirty days by following his guidelines and staying on task. Watch a portion of his introductory video to get a feel for his presentations.

Daily videos are short, usually under five-minutes, and enjoyable. Coach Culbertson has a good sense of humor, and many good common sense suggestions. His reason for keeping the video length short is because you want to write not spend your time watching videos. The full introductory video is over 25-minutes long and he explains in detail how to best use his fifteen-page Writer's Field Guide.

One of the many things I like about Coach Culbertson's training is you are signing up for ongoing material as added. This will include future videos, and any included PDFs. The material downloads through iTunes so you can listen and watch on your computer or take it with you on iPod. If your MP3 player plays M4V files like my Sony, you can locate and drag the files to your player.

During the month of November this series price is $9.97, and goes up to $39.97 December 1st. If you'd like a reasonably priced method to help organize your next book, try Coach Culbertson's Write a Book in Thirty Days.
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Bryan Davis' New Book Series-
Beyond the Reflection's Edge
Blog Tour - Day 3


Beyond the Reflection’s Edge – http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0310715547
Bryan Davis’ Web site – http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com/
Bryan Davis’ blog – http://dragonsinourmidst.blogspot.com/


Yesterday I mentioned how well I appreciated the attention paid to scene details. Today I wanted to mention the story characterization. The main character, Nathan, sounded old-fashioned in some ways, but it made sense. Grounded in cultured manners from his parents and his guardian, Nathan was brought up to respect women and treat people with consideration. Kelly, the story's male lead, at first makes fun of Nathan but comes to respect him as he treats her better than any boys she has dated before. Kelly and Nathan are believable characters with traits that set a higher standard than most of society. In one scene, Nathan tells a stranger the truth about why they are running. Kelly belittles Nathan for the choice of telling the truth. The stranger admits he was testing them to decide whether to help.

Like the scenes, the author researched believable character responses. Mr. Davis interviewed teens about their reaction to certain book scenes . Was that how a teenager would act - if not what would they do? I also enjoyed the way the characters grew over the length of the story. Nathan finds he must be strong if he is to lead. Kelly learns to regard herself not for her looks, but for her qualities and skills. Nathan's background with both parents prepared him to take care of himself and later his team. Kelly learned how to stay true to herself and to others. Eventually she learned that people could like her for herself. She didn't need to dress a certain way, or act a certain way to convince Nathan to like her.

Beyond the Reflection's Edge begins a new series, a new market, and a new publisher (Zondervan) for Bryan Davis. This series is geared to an older audience than Dragons in Our Midst. There is a double murder scene early in the book, so it's not meant for younger readers. But the scene is handled tastefully without dwelling on the sensationalism of the violence.


Beyond the Reflection's Edge begins a new chapter of great writing from Bryan Davis.

Book 2 is in the series is titled, Eternity's Edge (Echoes from the Edge)

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