By Susan A.J. Lyttek Recently, I found myself doing the impossible. Okay, let me back up. Many years ago, I planned a six-book series. Stories one and two were finished and with the possibility of a contract, I started book three. It wasn’t intended to be a long book—about 30-35,000 words. I got to about 20,000. The contract fell through. …
What Driving Taught Me About Writing
By Lynn H. Blackburn It’s hard to turn a parked car. Ever heard that one before? I can’t remember where I heard it first, but it’s so very true. You can be in the car, behind the wheel, motor running, ready to go. You may even have the brute strength to force the steering wheel to make the tires twist …
A Well-Tended Tale
By Tanara McCauley My parents are gardeners. Not your average throw-a-plant-in-a-pot-and-let-it-fend-for-itself gardeners; they are certified members of the green-thumb club, with a significant portion of their yard dedicated to fruits, vegetables, and herbs of every variety. Their garden thrives, and they are neighborhood-famous for it. Of course, their success was neither accidental nor instant. They started small. They planted and …
Words
By Tanara McCauley We live in an unprecedented time. While there’s nothing new about the circumstances—pandemics, political tension, racial division, economic crises and the like have existed throughout history—this age of social media and varying degrees of quarantine makes ours a unique experience. For example, I bid farewell to my junior and senior students in a Zoom meeting weeks after …
God in the Detours
by Suzanne J. Bratcher, PhD We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. [Romans 8:28, RSV] My writing road began in a bookmobile on McCollough Drive in Austin, Texas in 1957. I was eight, and I was waiting for Brighty of the Grand Canyon, a book that …
Christian and Faith-Based Fiction…Aren’t They the Same Thing?
by Susan Wingate My writing within the Christian fiction genre began around seven years ago. I had never considered writing within the genre before. Not until I met Joshua Graham who wrote Beyond Justice, a faith-based thriller. Joshua Graham and I chatted regularly by phone. During our talks, we spoke about faith and how Christianity funneled into our writing. Mine, …
The Role of Christian Fiction in a Hostile World
By Norma Gail What is the role of Christian fiction as our world grows increasingly hostile? Those who would change our culture want all references to faith in God removed from anything public. However, the written word is personal with a reach far beyond an individual author’s circle. We possess a tool to change individual hearts. God gave us an …
Have You Failed Enough to Be a Success?
By Susan A.J. Lyttek 1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT: So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. If you look at my writing career through one set of glasses, I have been amazingly successful. I have had three magazine columns, …
The Power of Being Seen
By Tara Johnson One of my favorite stories in the Bible is God’s encounter with Hagar. This slave girl was mistreated and unloved, forced to play a role she didn’t ask for. She had no rights and no one to speak on her behalf. She was invisible to those around her…until she met El Roi. After running away from Sarai, …
Confined in Spring
by Elizabeth Musser Lord, how can I complain when I’m confined in Spring? When a chateau sits in my backyard When snow white calla lilies curl towards the sun And lilacs bloom and tulips tilt their crimson heads And butterflies, like wind, like Spirit, flit to who-knows-where? When everything outside proclaims this simple truth: Life wins! So may I not …