The Writers’ Café Press Authors

TWCP Book makes BFS Long-List. ;D

2010-03-19T11:46:00.004-04:00

The Writers' Cafe Press author Sue Dent has officially, (and with much surprise to Sue Dent, as she didn't think her book qualified,) has made the British Fantasy Society's long-list for 2010! You can read more here.

Pluto Award Nominations listed!

2009-12-02T11:40:00.004-05:00

Not one but two are the numbers I see
Nominated authors from TWCP!

So go check out my blog post for the entire list! ;)

Sue Dent and Stephen Rice.

Of course last year was our own very special (cootie infested) Frank Creed! ;) Or maybe that was the year before last. Nevertheless, a TWCP author.

New Sue Dent interview!

2009-11-18T11:39:00.002-05:00

New Sue Dent interview and chance to win Never Ceese. Sorry but you have to pay for Forever Richard dagnabbit! How else will I be able to write if I don't make any money? ;)

Okay so go here for your chance.

I met K Dawn Byrd on Facebook after joining a group called Christian Fiction Gathering. If you're on FaceBook you should look this group up. One of the first Christian Fiction groups I've found on FaceBook that treat non-affiliated Christian authors with equal value as affiliated ones. You certainly don't find that everyday. :)

There's a question you have to answer for your chance to win but it's fairly easy.

Christian vampires and werewolves leap from the page

2009-11-01T23:05:00.001-05:00

Christian vampires and werewolves leap from the page

Posted using ShareThis

2009-10-18T12:23:00.001-04:00

I stumbled across this just a few minutes ago at www.britishfantasysociety.org.uk and I must say that even though I've no idea what this is a list of I do know that I like it. Forever Richard in the top twenty of some very grand books.

Perhaps placement on the list is superfluous yet being on the list isn't. Do read Maryann Boo's outstanding review of Forever Richard when you get the chance. :) Then go read Forever Richard or Never Ceese (paperback version) if you've not read Forever Richard first. It's a series after all. I'd certainly want you to get the most out of it.

Do keep in mind that though this is accurately labeled a Christian vampire/werewolf series, you'll only see recognition for it from general market proponents. You won't see anything about this overwhelmingly successful Christian series on any site designed to bring attention to works published by Christian authors. My publisher doesn't pay to be affiliated with CBA or ECPA and therefore I'm shunned by the very market that should herald such an endeavor. I've been turned down for entry into award ceremonies for Christian fiction, not allowed to list on blogs for ECPA affiliated books or rather "the best in Christian Fiction" even though both of my books have been approved for distribution to the Christian market. Christianbook.com won't list my books and the discrimination goes on and on.

General Market Christians rock though and so I'll stand over there with them. I'd stand with the others except they won't let me. ;)How nice.

But yes, believe it or not, there is a Christian vampire and werewolf story already out there despite what another market would have you believe. It just appeals to all Christians of faith and not a select few.

Do enjoy the review and the story!

Chapter by Chapter discussion of Never Ceese!

2009-10-05T16:24:00.001-04:00

The discussion of Never Ceese, chapter by chapter, has begun. Sooooo . . . what are you waiting for! Go! Go! Go! And tell your dang friends 'cuz I don't have any. ;)

*Sue checks to see if she's evoked any sympathy to see that she hasn't.* Drats! I've gotta work on that. ;)

Forum discussion of Never Ceese by Sue Dent at the Open Book Society!

VFF interview with Sue Dent is up.

2009-09-14T12:05:00.004-04:00

My interview with the Vampire Film Festival's directors is up. You can read it by clicking here. or you can click here and then click on my image. :)

A Gem from the FIRST blog Tour!

2009-09-13T10:43:00.002-04:00

A Gem from the FIRST Blog Tour. Yes, I'd say this one was a keeper. Do click on this link to read it and enjoy. I know I did. What an incredible feeling when a reviewer gets it right!!

Thanks sooooo much Janna and FIRST and Writers' Cafe Press who provided up to 25 free books for the tour. ;)

Sue Dent moderator for Vamp Fest Literary panel!

2009-09-10T10:31:00.002-04:00

It's official. I will be the moderator for the paranormal literary panel being conducted at Vamp Fest October 25th in New Orleans. This should be interesting. LOL You can read more on my blog HERE!

What's new with Sue!

2009-08-26T11:45:00.003-04:00

Be sure and check out my new blog today to learn more about what's going on with me and my Thirsting for Blood Series. Of course the link is suedent.blogspot.com See ya there! =)

Love Twilight? Try one of these similar books!

2009-08-22T10:04:00.004-04:00

See who's on this list and with the label Christian Fiction no less. :)

Thirsting for Blood blog!

Never Ceese (paperback) Christian Essential!

2009-07-23T08:48:00.003-04:00

What a nice google alert to wake up to and what an intriguing site! So yes, go buy this Christian Essential off this blog or hop over to www.suedent.blogspot.com and purchase both Never Ceese and Forever Richard for $20 with free shipping in the US, signed and sent straight out to you by moi! My author copies just came in and I'm fairly certain they won't last long. Hey, a girl can dream can't they.

But yes, run along and check the site out. Truly fascinating, if you ask me.

British Fantasy Society reviews Forever Richard!

2009-06-27T15:09:00.003-04:00

A horror book in essence, both Never Ceese and Forever Richard caught the eye of The British Fantasy society's MaryAnn Boo . . . and I couldn't be more pleased. Coming from a smaller press than the "big dogs," I'm absolutely knocked on my butt every time I get a review like this. MaryAnn couldn't possibly know how much this means to me. When no other first line reviewers cared to notice, she did.

FOREVER RICHARD
By Sue Dent
The Writer’s Cafe Press, £9.99
Review by Maryann Boo

This is the long awaited sequel to Never Ceese, Sue Dent’s first foray into the world of Richard, a Vampire and his Werewolf sister, Ceese. In this book, Sue takes us back to the early days, where we meet other members of Richard’s and Ceese’s family.

We are subsequently brought back to present day and meet Richard and Ceese, now both cured and doing their best to . . .

You can read the rest HERE!

Okay. The part about it being a trilogy was my fault. LOL It is still a series but if I don't get the reaction I need from sales to survive, it could be a trilogy. :) That's not saying I'm not getting a good response that's just saying . . . it's pretty much up to y'all.

I'm SO excited!

2009-06-22T21:48:00.001-04:00

Derek Gilbert interviewed me on his Voice From the Bunker POD-radio show--he plugged: Author Frank Creed talks about cyberpunk, Christian fiction, why he writes and for whom: http://www.pidradio.com/?p=434What's really cool? The best selling Christian Fantasy novelist since CS Lewis, Donita Paul, listened to the show and commented!

Another Derek Gilbert plug:

P.I.D. Radio » VFTB: Christian Cyberpunk Author Frank Creed
Source: www.pidradio.com
CHRISTIAN and cyberpunk are two words that don’t usually appear in the same sentence. Thanks to author Frank Creed, we may soon see them together on a regular basis.

OH yeah.

Forever Richard gets all Pirate-ey tom-arrrrrr-ow!

2009-06-11T22:01:00.003-04:00

That's right. So pay attention. MaryLu Tyndall has informed me that she'll be givin' Forever Richard away on her blog. I suggest you be gettin' yurself over there if yur wantin' to read it without partin' with the cash. I don't know what got into her but I'm figurin' a bunch of you don't care so long as you don't have to put out the cash for somethin'. Arrrrrrr!!! And just to show ya my good nature, I'm throwin' in one of them blasted hard copies of Never Ceese. If you buy Never Ceese you best be buyin' the paperback or else you'll walk the plank.

Trust me.

If I have to, I can find a plank.

So there ya go! Now run over to http://www.crossandcutlass.blogspot.com in the morn to get yur chance to win or pop over tonight to get a good seat. Don't know if that's required but it sure couldn't hurt. Pirates can be pretty sneaky I hear.

What arrrrrrrr ya doin'?

I said go!

Why we wake up and do it all again.

2009-05-23T18:10:00.000-04:00

Once in awhile we geat a review that etches a much needed smile. This is from a young man at the low end of my intended audience for Flashpoint: Book One of the Underground:

"The only reason I read this book is because I was bored and my mother gave me something to do. At first I was skeptical but upon reading it, it didn’t disappoint for even a fraction of a millisecond. I read this book in twenty-four hours flat. Star Wars, The Matrix, X-Men, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter versus Flashpoint. No contest. Thank you, Frank Creed, for giving me yet another obsession."--Joshua Hokstad

Wow. How can that not brighten one's day?

Faith,
f

Thirsting for Blood Series Promo

2009-05-23T15:04:00.003-04:00

I worked all night and morning on it trying to figure out movie maker. I'm happy with it! :D Hope you like it.

Catholic Writers Conference Live Aug 5-7

2009-05-18T14:30:00.001-04:00

Catholic Writers Guild, Catholic Marketing Network Hold Writers’ Conference

Somerset, NJ--The Catholic Writers' Guild, in conjunction with the Catholic Marketing Network, will host its first-ever Catholic Writers’ Conference LIVE! at the Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center, Somerset, NJ, from Aug 5-7, 2009. The conference will host publishers, editors and authors from all aspects of the Catholic writing world, including magazines and devotionals, novels and educational materials. The panel discussions, presentations and workshops will cover all aspects of writing including generating query letters, crafting a good story, worldbuilding, marketing finished works and more. In addition, editors from several Catholic publishers will be on-hand to share their wisdom and hear authors propose their works.

The Catholic Marketing Network's International Trade Show, held at the neighboring Garden State Exhibition Center (http://www.gsec.com), will serve as the exhibition floor for the writers’ conference, giving writers a chance to browse the booths, meet with publishing companies, pitch their books to publishers, have their work critiqued at a private critique session and chat with the published authors at book signings at the Catholic Writers’ Guild booth. CMN will also be hosting daily Masses and rosaries at the Doubletree Hotel, and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at the exhibition center. Other CMN events including the seminars and inspirational talks scheduled for Tuesday, August 4 will be held at the Doubletree.
Presenters for the writers’ conference include: author/Sophia Press submissions editor Regina Doman (Angel in the Waters); Pauline Books and Media Editor Sister Maria Grace, CEO of Ignatius Press Mark Brumley (How Not to Share Your Faith), Susan Brinkmann editor of Canticle Magazine, Lisa Wheeler, Executive Vice President of the Maximus Group (PR and marketing firm for The Passion of the Christ), author/Ascension Press publisher Matt Pinto (Do Adam and Eve Have Belly Buttons?), Claudia Volkman, General Manager of Circle Press, Tom Hoopes, Executive Editor of the National Catholic Register, and mystery author John Desjarlais (Bleeder) among others.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for both writers and publishers to connect," said science fiction writer and Catholic Writer's Guild President, Karina Fabian. "The CMN has been especially generous in offering to share it facilities and programs with us, which really enhances the quality of the conference for attendee and presenter.”

Conference Coordinator and CWG Vice President Ann Lewis adds “There will be a lot of good information, encouragement and learning opportunities for Catholic authors at our live conference. Our goal is to help good Catholic writers to get published. The world needs their words.”

The Catholic Writers’ Guild has hosted two highly successful on-line conferences.
To register or for more information, go to www.catholicwritersconference.com. Registration is $80 through June 1st, $99 through July 31st and $110 at the door.

Amazon Bestseller: Feel the Realness

2009-05-16T22:06:00.000-04:00

There’s a type of question that always glazes my eyes. What does it feel like to—fill in the blank—be published, win fiction awards, or hold a number one ranking. I’ve wanted these things since one Ford was in the Oval Office, and another Ford was still building Torinos. I still can’t believe that fiction I wrote is available in book form, so experiences like last Tuesday’s are very surreal to me.

Tuesday, May 12th Michael Vance, author of the Lovecraftian horror braided-novel Weird Horror Tales, posted his five-star rave review of my first novel Flashpoint, at several places on the Web. I headed over to my Amazon profile, when my eyes literally bugged. Mr. Vance’s review is the only thing I can credit for a sales-spike that took Flashpoint to the top of Amazon’s religion—fiction—fantasy/ sci-fi genre ranking.

Every author travels the writer’s sojourn. But every step on this path is as unique as one’s writing voice, so answering these how-does-it-feel questions elicits a range of replies. Even though I’ve long held a too-mystical wonder of, and reverence for, books, I still can’t believe these dreams have come true. Tuesday must have been a very-slow-sales day for everyone else.

A friend alerted me to Goodreads.com list of the top 1000 books a Christian should read. http://tinyurl.com/pq8g8l I When I pass C.S. Lewis and John Bunyan on that list, I’ll know I’m dreaming!

Flashpoint: Adrenaline infuse roller-ocaster ride

2009-05-15T09:38:00.002-04:00

An adrenaline infused, roller-coaster ride into a future where a belief can cost you a brain-washing and even your life, this science-fiction novel reminds me most of the best of the "Indiana Jones" movies in its pacing and level of excitement.

The belief that can cost you a `cleaned' mind is the Word of God, which has been outlawed. The Global Government has determined that `fundamentalism' has caused wars and misery. Therefore, it has decided to use war and misery to stop fundamentalism.

Elementary, eh!

In "Flashpoint", a Christian family and their like-minded friends living in an underground network are captured and herded off to a concentration camp of sorts. The son and daughter, however, are not caught, and are determined to rescue their parents with the help of an even more secretive and powerful league of Christian warriors.

If you should turn up your nose at the infusion of Christians in science-fiction because you aren't a believer, I encourage you to change your mind. Solid science-fiction is solid science-fiction whether it's about Christians or Klingons, and you'll only be denying yourself a bunch of rollicking fun.

If you should turn up your nose at the infusion of science-fiction because you are a believer, I encourage you to change your mind as well. Frank Creek's theology is sound, and riding on roller-coasters is allowed!

In particular, I like that Creed hasn't written one dimensional Christians, but has created an interesting ensemble of fully developed people who are as imperfect as the people who are trying to suppress them. He's also said exactly what he wished to without preaching; this is a real novel, not a sermon disguised as one.

In short, Creed has written a fast paced adventure novel that can and should be enjoyed by everyone. I can't wait for the second installation!

"Flashpoint"
(Book One of "The Underground")
by Frank Creed
$9.95, 190 pages
ISBN: 978-1-934284-01-8

Reviewed by Michael G. Lail at amazon.com

TWCP Book Hits an Amazon Bestseller List

2009-05-13T17:16:00.002-04:00

Frank's publicist created this press release celebrating the #1 ranking event (and she had the good presence of mind to capture a screen shot of the event . . . I was overcome with nervous giggles and the idea of preserving this occasion escaped me altogether):

Contact: Frank Creed
Email: frank@frankcreed.com

For Immediate Release

“Flashpoint” is an Amazon Bestseller

Lafayette, IN May 13, 2009—Frank Creed's ground-breaking Christian cyberpunk novel “Flashpoint” (The Writers' Cafe Press, 2007) passed a major milestone yesterday. It was listed as the top selling religious science-fiction/fantasy book on Amazon.com, the world's leading online bookseller.

The rankings, which are updated hourly showed Creed's book leading sales of the popular “Dragonkeeper” series by Donita Paul and the “Left Behind” series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.

“I was at Amazon.com reading a new 5 star review and I nearly fell off my chair when I saw [the ranking],” commented Creed. “I am hugely happy about this especially in light of what's coming next.”

Creed is referring to the publication of “War of Attrition,” the second book in the Underground series later this year.

Flashpoint tells the story of a brother and sister living in the Chicago Metroplex of 2036 in a world where all religious devotion regardless of sect is considered terrorism. Taking the “street names” of Calamity Kid and eGirl, they join a “muscle cell” of the underground church tasked with protecting – within the limitations of the “Agape principle”- Christian believers from persecution through the use of non-lethal weapons and spiritually empowered cybernetic implants.

For more information about Frank Creed or “The Underground series,” visit http://www.frankcreed.com/ or The Writers Cafe Press

League of Superheroes has a home

2009-04-27T17:06:00.003-04:00

www.christiansuperheroes.com

Stephen Leon Rice's Christian sci-fi/ superheroes books have a brand new home.

Do check out the website and make sure you click on the "Author" button!

The website creation is by Grace Bridges; I think you'll agree that she did a bang-up job.

Do it! Go now!

Never Ceese Paperback flagged for Christian market!

2009-04-23T13:38:00.010-04:00

To understand what being flagged by the Christian market means you may go here:
Sue Dent's blogspot

Thanks for the never ending support from TWCP, my original self-published paperback is now in distribution through Ingram AND Ingram/Spring Arbor. Oh do go and read about it here.

And now to unveil the slightly updated cover:

It rocks, doesn't it? :D

You can see a bigger version at www.NeverCeese.com!

Promo Day May 9

2009-04-09T15:13:00.001-04:00

MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release

Contact info:
Jo Linsdell - Founder and Organiser
Email: promoday@ymail.com
URL: http://jolinsdell.tripod.com/promoday
Blog: http://promoday.blogspot.com

THE PROMOTIONAL EVENT FOR THE WRITING INDUSTRY IS BACK!

PROMO DAY makes its return in 2009 and promises to be the best yet. Mark your calendars for Saturday 9th May 2009!

An all day, online, international event for people in the writing industry packed full of tips and advice along with a variety of opportunities for writers, publishers, editors etc to promote their work and services. Readers are also welcome to drop in and get to know the authors better in the online chatroom, view the video trailers or read the sample chapters on site.

Founder and Organiser of the event, Jo Linsdell, had this to say “PROMO DAY came about because I was looking for opportunities to promote my books using the internet at little or no cost. After attending the Muse Online Writers Conference back in 2006, I searched the internet for similar events aimed at what to do after you’ve written the book and found none. I decided to fill the void and so PROMO DAY was born. PROMO DAY is a great opportunity to network with other members of the industry, take part in online workshops and promote and best of all it’s FREE”.

New features for this year is the Official Blog for the event, http://promoday.blogspot.com, where everyone can keep up to date with new announcements and information regarding the event and the official PROMO DAY book, packed full of information and resources, which will be available to buy during and after the event.
Visit the website http://jolinsdell.tripod.com/promoday for more details of how you can be involved.

BE PART OF THE ACTION, BE PART OF PROMO DAY!

Novel Journey: Christian Speculative Fiction Panel -- Part Two

2009-03-30T14:03:00.002-04:00

Novel Journey's Christian speculative fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, and horror), panel Part Two IS UP, featuring Rebecca Miller, Jeff Gerke, and myself:
Christian Speculative Fiction Panel -- Part Two

Part one generated 400 new Novel Journey hits, and thirty-three comments. I take that as a sign that genre fans don't hang in literary circles.

Revisiting my interview with Lena Nelson Dooley!

2009-03-29T20:18:00.004-04:00

Lena offered me another opportunity to interview with her when Forever Richard came out and I must say it was, as usual, a most enjoyable experience. More than that, it allowed me another opportunity to hear from fans. I just went back and found this posted:

Danielle (Dani)

I have both Never Ceese and Forever Richard and am totally in LOVE with them!!! I have always loved the use of Werewolves/Vampires/Pirates/etc. in the Christian market. My opinion is that it was about time a Christian had the guts to try and the talent to pull it off. I would love to see these become movies, and being a Christian and an aspiring actress I would definitely encourage it.

Great job Mrs. Dent! God bless!

Thank you so much Dana. I would like to say, however, that I don't consider myself neither brave nor having guts. I simply wrote a story I thought sounded really cool and tried to get it published. I'd no plans of offending anyone with it and am glad I didn't. Also, just so Danielle will know, there won't be any stories like mine coming through the bigger Christian publishers so if you enjoy my work, you'll need to really, really support all Christian publishers. It's the only way you'll see anything like what I write. :)

Anne Rice has a question.

2009-03-27T16:06:00.002-04:00

Anne Rice is known for talking and responding to fans. She had an interesting question on facebook today which I blogged about here.

Local Kick-off book signing at B&N!

2009-03-21T09:55:00.002-04:00

You may click on the image of the store below to get all the information.

If you are local then come visit with Mayor Gene McGee as well. He will also be in attendance to show his support for local talent and because he lives in my neighborhood and I twisted his arm. He didn't stand a chance. :) Yet thanks to our fine mayor, I can actually have a kick-off book signing at a LOCAL B&N as this very B&N used to be in Jackson.

Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee

See ya'll there. (That would be the "correct" southern spelling of ya'll. Deal with it.)

Published For St. Patty's Day

2009-03-17T19:57:00.000-04:00

Natalia (short story, March 2009, Wayfarer’s Journal e-zine)
My seventh published work of fiction--and this one's free!

http://www.wayfarersjournal.com/
http://www.wayfarersjournal.com/creednat.htm

Biblical cyberpunk: near-future high-tech dystopian sci-fi featuring a direct interface between the computer and human mind.

See if you can tell which character in this story was inspired by my daughter. 8D

Anne Rice to publish thriller/fantasy in fall! Oh yeah!

2009-03-16T14:34:00.004-04:00

OH MY GOSH!

Look what I saw on facebook!

Yes! That's correct. Mrs. Anne Rice herself is coming out with a suspense/fantasy/Anne Rice type thriller written from a very different Anne Rice perspective. And what a wonderful time for her to come out with it too since Christian bookstores can now put books other than those produced by CBA and ECPA affiliated publishers on their shelf so long as they're distributed through Ingram/Spring Arbor.

Don't know if Mrs. Rice will submit her book to Ingram/Spring Arbor though (every book has to be deemed "socially acceptable" unless it comes through a CBA or ECPA affiliated publisher)since she'll clearly have a huge readership without ever getting into a Christian bookstore (she'll have to be distributed through Ingram/Spring Arbor to gain access.)

I suppose I should tell her, as if she's even worried about it, that Ingram/Spring Arbor only looks for Christian content and affiliation to a particular market doesn't matter. I for one know I'd like to see her in ALL bookstores and can not wait for this next book.

So check out her facebook post and say hi and tell her Sue Dent sent you. :D

Christian Radio Interview & the Rise of Christian Horror

2009-03-15T14:26:00.003-04:00

There's a very good Christian radio interview of Christian sci-fi novelists Mike Lynch and Brandon Barr about their Christian sci-fi novel, When the Sky Fell (Silverleaf books, 2009), re-airing tonight at 10:00 PM. Here's a note from Mike himself:

"For those who didn't have a chance to listen to Brandon and mine's radio interview for our upcoming book, you have two more opportunities to hear it. Not only do we talk about the book, but also the importance of promoting Christian Science Fiction. You can listen to the interview on http://www.returnoftheking/ radio.com -- Sunday, March 15 at 7:00 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time)."--Michael Lynch

I got to ask them some questions in Web chat while they are on the air. 8D

* * *

Here is a tid-bit that may appeal to the Sue Dent crowd. From writer Greg Mitchell:

“Hey, all, thought this was a little noteworthy. The latest issue of "Rue Morgue" a magazine dedicated to horror film, books, music, etc. contains an article called "The Rise of Christian Horror". I don't have a copy, unfortunately, but my atheist friend flipped through it (looking for my name, natch---no it's not in there...sigh. ..) and said it looked like a pretty positive slant on the sub-genre. If any of you snag a copy, be a pal and share with the rest of us. I'm dying to know what it says. "Rue Morgue" is pretty well-respected in the horror community because it takes an intelligent approach to the subject matter as opposed to something like Fangoria that is pretty much gore-porn.If you're looking for the issue, it's the one that features "Martyrs" on the cover. Their site is http://www.rue-morgue.com/. ”-- Underground Anthology contributor, Greg Mitchell

Have a restful Sunday, and great week. 8 )

Faith,
f

Ingram/Spring Arbor

2009-03-13T10:12:00.013-04:00

Oops. I said I was in a Christian bookstore. Sorry. Not quite yet. Neither me nor my publisher knew that Christian books being distributed by Ingram didn't automatically go into Ingram/Spring Arbor for distribution. No. You have to actually submit books to them to make sure they're "socially acceptable."

I have to tell you, my stomach did a little flip when I heard this until I went to Ingram/Spring Arbors website and read this:

Spring Arbor Distributors is more than the leading distributor of Christian books and other products to the industry represented by the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) and other Christian outlets.

Okay so at least the biggest distributor of Christian product recognizes that there is CBA and then there are other Christian outlets. What a relief! I was beginning to worry that CBA's restrictive guidelines followed Spring Arbor over when they combined with Ingram in 1997. I also worried that the money CBA could bring in had convinced Ingram to leave all non-affiliated Christian publishers (other Christian outlets) and authors out in the cold?

But according to this article, I'd have to say that is not the case at all! If Ingram/Spring Arbor were in fact catering to CBA retailers only you probably wouldn't see comments like the one made in the article I linked to above. An article where comments like this were made:

Some CBA presses have recently opted to leave Spring Arbor for the competition - Appalachian, Riverside and Anchor, a situation that mirrors the exodus after Ingram first bought Spring Arbor.

Or this comment:

One CBA source said, "Ingram has never accepted the fact that CBA publishers have their own way of operating."

Yet it seems like they do recognize this fact and they recognize this isn't how they want to operate. I called Ingram/Spring Arbor today (because I'm paranoid LOL) to verify that one didn't have to be CBA affiliated to be deemed "socially acceptable." There answer was a clear and distinct, "no!" The book simply needed to have Christian content. How cool is that!

"There should be no problem," they said, "with my book being deemed "socially acceptable." I've stopped short of being very happy. I've been duped by this statement before. Needless to say, I'll believe it when I see it.

It does sound encouraging though. If this is how Ingram/Spring Arbor operates, all I can say is thank-you for not cowering to the powers that be.

Lost Genre Guild Discussion Board Wins Award!

2009-03-12T19:01:00.001-04:00

The Preditor & Editor Readers Choice Awards are held every January. In the 2009 category of writer’s forums, the Lost Genre Guild discussion board and critique group won a Top-Ten!!!

I founded the Guild in September of 2006 as a gathering place on the Web for artists and fans of Christian speculative fiction: sci-fi, horror, and fantasy. Genre fans have had a long wait before CBA publishers released such novels, and there are many other good titles from Independent houses. Do a little Googling to find plenty of titles written for Christian audience, and if you know anyone drawn to the stuff, usually gamers and rock music fans for some reason, hook us up, yo?

Faith,
f

Looking for non-affiliated Christian Bookstores.

2009-03-08T18:40:00.003-04:00

If you own a Christian Bookstore that isn't affiliated with either CBA or ECPA please let me know. I've got quite a few readers who want to support their Christian bookstores but can't do so because they're having trouble locating one that isn't affiliated and therefore carries the the kind of fiction/sci-fi/fantasy/horror and even non-fiction they enjoy reading and so it's up to you. You order a few copies of Forever Richard for your shelves and I'll tell them where to go get it.

And specifically, if you know of a non-affiliated Christian Bookstore in the Minneapolis area who'd like to have me come by and sign while I'm up there (tentatively around the first of April) let me know NOW! As it is, I'll be hitting only general market bookstores. I don't have time to call each Christian bookstore to find out which ones aren't affiliated and will therefore carry work produced by non-affiliated authors.

I'll also start listing bookstores on my website who I know have ordered a copy or two of Forever Richard so readers will know where to find it.

God Bless,
Sue Dent

Forever Richard is available at Manny's!

2009-03-05T13:27:00.006-05:00

Forever Richard is available at this fine INDEPENDENT Christian Bookstore.

No. Nothing has changed. Any Christian Bookstore that isn't indpendently owned is affiliated and will only stock affiliated books (books produced by CBA and/or ECPA affiliated publishers or at least this has been my experience.) Independent Christian bookstores can order whatever their readers want! :)

How cool is that!

Thanks Steve at Manny's and thanks Dub for letting me know about Manny's.

When you visit Steve, ask him how the name Manny's came into being. It's a neat story.

And tell Steve I said hey. :)

Addendum: My bad. Some independent Christian bookstores are actually affiliated so you actually have to ask each Christian bookstore if you want to know whether they'll have the kind of fiction you're looking for. :)

Miller, Gerke, and Creed at the Novel Journey blog

2009-02-23T18:06:00.000-05:00

Christian Speculative Fiction Panel--Part One

Along with the Christian Science-Fiction & Fantasy blog tour’s Rebecca Miller and Marcher Lord Press’ Jeff Gerke, I was invited to be part of a speculative fiction panel at the Novel Journey blog. Please drop by for a state of the Christian genre discussion, part one of two.
http://noveljourney.blogspot.com/

Faith,
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As reviews start coming in . . .

2009-02-23T09:37:00.009-05:00

As reviews start coming in on Forever Richard, I'd like to remind potential readers that my work, intended for the general market reader, has also been widely accepted by readers from the specific Christian market CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) and ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) serve. A very nice surprise to me since I was told later that this market wouldn't read general market horror.

With such a varied audience reading, there are bound to be some very interesting reviews. I can't wait to see what everyone has to say. :D

I'm keeping my fingers crossed on two forthcoming reviews, one from the The British Fantasy Society (if they can squeeze me in) and a resounding one from Mr. Nicholas Grabowsky, author of Halloween IV and founder of Black Bed Sheet Productions!

Click here to read Mr. Grabowsky's review of Never Ceese.

Thanks Nick!

Christian Manifesto review of Forever Richard

2009-02-21T11:24:00.002-05:00

Nutshell Version:

While Sue Dent’s writing was never intended to fit perfectly into the Christian Fiction mold, you can’t help but notice the powerful messages of hope, love, and sacrifice that are so evident. My only complaint about Forever Richard is that I wanted more. In the end we are left with a nice little cliffhanger and a little taste of what’s to come. My interest is piqued and I’m on my knees begging. Next time can we have just a little more please?

Jake Chism reviews Forever Richard at the Christian Manifesto.

Leaps of Faith: New Review

2009-02-20T23:08:00.001-05:00

New Review of Leaps of Faith from Yellow30 Sci-Fi!

"Leaps of Faith will undoubtedly go down as one of the best collections of Christian science fiction in this new century."

WooHoo!

Why I love workshops

2009-02-04T23:39:00.002-05:00

By far the most popular part of the Catholic Writers Conference Online has been the chats. We have experts from all areas of publishing come and chat for an hour, giving mini-lessons and taking questions. I usually end up transcribing them for our e-book. (BTW--If you couldn't make the conference and want to purchase the e-book, it's available for a $20 donation to the CWCO. CWCO is part of CWG, a non-profit, so you can count it as a charity or as a business expense!)

For me, however, the week-long workshops are far more useful. I love being able to put the learning into practice, and I always come away with great stuff. Monday, I shared a scene I came up with in Devon Ellington's Dialog class. Today, I want to show you the difference a few tips from Kim Richards made to a scene in Discovery that I truly hated:

OLD: James managed to make it to the auditorium as the last of the stragglers were coming in. About half of the researchers had decided to come to the briefing. Some wanted to see the images of the alien ship again. Some were curious to see the miner's reactions. He noticed that they all took spots opposite the Rocky Flat's team, who had taken position in a lopsided semi-circle around Hayden and his senior staff, forming their own island of humanity among the dark, empty seats.

Hayden sat in the front row, Captain Addiman to his left and Andy to his right; then Sister Ann, Sister Thomas, and Rita. After Rita, the row sat empty, as did the seats behind her. He watched as she gave the empty seats a seemingly incurious look. He knew she recognized the barrier.

She knows all about barriers, he thought, surprised at the bitterness of his inner voice. Then again, she'd put a barrier between them half the size of the solar system. Why couldn't she just tell me?

NEW: James managed to make it to the auditorium as the last of the stragglers were coming in. The fifteen or so researchers that crowded together at one side. Some leaned forward, hungry eyes on the blank viewscreen. More were nudging each other and looking at the Rocky Flats mining team. The miners had created their own island of humanity on the opposite side of the auditorium, chattering amongst themselves, ignoring the researchers. Hayden, his senior staff and the Rescue Sisters stretched between the groups like an incomplete bridge.

Rita formed the last bit of that bridge. She gave the empty seats around her an incurious look, but James knew she recognized the invisible barrier they formed.

She knows all about barriers, he thought, surprised at the bitterness of his inner voice. Then again, she'd put a barrier between them half the size of the solar system. Why couldn't she just tell me?

I hope some of you will be able to make it to an writers conference, on- or off-line. They really are worth the time. Incidentally, I hear there's an LGG con, LostCon, being planned for the Fall in SecondLife. Maybe I'll see you there?

Celebrating Anne Rice!

2009-02-04T11:07:00.002-05:00

She certainly deserves to be celebrated. What a wonderful author and person. If you don't believe me, you can go read her new book: Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession.

Also, you may check out this video.

As an author who is a Christian and writes in the horror genre (at least for now), I'm even more inspired by Anne's journey from atheism and back to her Catholic roots. I understand that in this novel she talks about how her previous novels were written from an atheistic worldview. I so admire her coming out and saying this as it helps point to the fact that writing about vampires or werewolves or zombies isn't inherently evil but rather an expression of self as is the case with all fiction.

I also appreciate Mrs. Rice's decision to stay away from the type fiction that obviously pushes her to remember a very dark and sad time in her life. Perhaps one day she'll be able to forge ahead and revisit writing horror fiction from her new worldview. Until then, do check out her recent books. After all, these were written by literary genius Anne Rice and horror or not, she's well worth reading. I can only hope to ever be as talented.

Other books by post-atheist Anne Rice:

Book Signing Anyone?

2009-02-02T13:38:00.000-05:00

Oh but who wouldn't want me to come to their town for a book signing. :) I might even be able to coerce *ahem* Richard to come along if the "stakes" were high enough (or if the price of "steaks" were low enough. HA!

But yes, now would be the time to speak up. I'm currently setting up signings in bookstores where there "seems" to be an interest. Book Signings are a waste of time finacially but not so much so when an author is certain a few might show up to buy books to have signed.

Doesn't matter if you've already bought the book, just let me know you'd like it signed and if I get enough request, I'll arrange a booksigning in the area. You can bring your book in if you already have it so I can sign it.

Again these would be booksignings at general market stores such as Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million etc . . . but no Christian Bookstores. While most of my readers are from the market bigger Christian booksellers sell to, the CBA/ECPA industry itself does not support me. I've not paid the money to be affiliated and therefore can't even step foot inside an affiliated store to sell my goods. I might actually pay the money to be affiliated but neither CBA or ECPA would publish what I write. And I'm not speculating about that. All of the bigger Christian houses have told me this, Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, Waterbrook . . . it's the code of the land so it seems.

No big deal. Just don't want to burst your bubble if you think I might be at your local Lifeway or Family Christian. I'm not avoiding these stores. They won't let me in. Heck, 75% of my audience shops at these stores. Why wouldn't I want in? :)

But let me know, and I'll work to come visit and sign.

Thanks again for all your support.

Hard Sci-Fi & Time Travel in Leaps of Faith

2009-01-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

In this, the final installment of our feature on Leaps of Faith, we focus on two more types of science fiction: time travel and hard SF.

Click on the links to take you to excerpts from some great science fiction stories that are respectful of Christian beliefs.

Hard Science Fiction:

An astrophysicist finds the face of God in the stars of the universe in “The Smile.” (Greg Beatty)

God is a proven fact in “The Faith Equation,” leaving the question of the role of belief. (Peter Bell)

“The Relics of Venice” combines genetic engineering and love to create a miracle. (Leslie Brown)

Time travel:

In “Tampering with God’s Time,” time travelers find they cannot change the timeline, but are themselves changed as they encounter Christ personally. (Karina Fabian)

In “Moses Disposes,” King Solomon deliberately uses time travelers to bring the Bible to future generations in an idiom they can understand. (Frank C. Gunderloy)

Encountering Alien Life: Leaps of Faith

2009-01-29T16:32:00.000-05:00

Part II of our focus on Leaps of Faith looks at another aspect of science fiction: encountering alien life.

Of course, the whole concept of Christian novelists including aliens or sentient non-humans (that/ who aren't later discovered to be demons) in their fiction is controversial.

Just last week the topic was discussed at Speculative Faith: E. Stephen Burnett summarizes the arguments around the existence of extra-terrestrial life, as related to Christian belief, and concludes: Thus, any speculation outside of Scripture needs to be clearly disclaimed for what it is. But I would argue that even Christians speculating — even in fiction — must conform to God’s Word.

Given that many Christians agree that scripture based- and Biblical based-logic argues against the existence of aliens or Christian non-sentient beings, the concepts explored in several of the stories in Leaps of Faith appear controversial.

In “Lost Rythar,” evangelists seek to bring the Word of God to long-forgotten human colonies. (Colleen Drippé)

In “Sometimes We Lie,” evangelism takes a bizarre turn when a native-born being tries to spread an ancient human faith. (Barton Paul Levenson)

Fr. Wren wonders if a sentient tree-creature can marry into the Catholic Faith in “The Convert.” (Susanne Marie Knight)

Fr. Travener faces persecution by ministering to sentient androids in “Comprehending It Not.” (Cherith Baldry)

Why not read these stories for yourself before dismissing the possibility that Christian fiction can speculate about sentient non-human life and conform to God's word?

Space Exploration: Leaps of Faith

2009-01-28T11:53:00.009-05:00

In both Christian and mainstream science fiction, either religion or science always seems to take a back seat.

In mainstream SF, religion may be portrayed as something mankind has outgrown or that has become as alien as the worlds visited; or only one faith is represented, as if the great tapestry of Judeo-Christian faiths has been bleached into a colorless whole. By the same token, in Christian fiction, accurate, plausible science may be downplayed to the point of device rather than vital story element.

Yet, in reality, faith and science have always nurtured each other.

Mendel, the father of genetics, was a monk, and some physicists have said the more they delve into quantum mechanics, the more they are convinced in a higher power as Creator.

Where is the SF to reflect the truer relationship between faith and science?

Here, in Leaps of Faith.

The stories in Leaps of Faith cover the entire spectrum of the SF genre, showing the positive relationship between science and religion.

Beginning this week, TWCP Authors site will be featuring excerpts from the anthology Leaps of Faith.

Today we start with the space exploration stories.

In "High Hopes for The Dead" we see Christian evangelism though the faithful example of Luke "High Hopes" Kittery, a member of a band of space explorers for whom every trip is potential suicide. (author: Alex Lobdell)

"Quantum Express" examines the status of one's soul when the body is destroyed and reassembled through teleportation. (author: Vincent Malzahn)

"God's Gift:" faith is the key to preventing insanity brought on by a new method of interstellar travel. (author: Greg Beatty)

"Leap of Faith" highlights the new industry of space search and rescue though the intrepid nuns of Our Lady of the Rescue. (Karina & Robert Fabian)

In "Confirmation" harvesters of an exotic space fuel suspect they're harvesting intelligent life—or perhaps the angels themselves. (author: Michael S. Poteet)

A FRANK REVIEW: Cyberpunk Frank or Frankpunk?

2009-01-26T22:12:00.000-05:00

A FRANK REVIEW: Cyberpunk Frank or Frankpunk?

Second chance to win Forever Richard!

2009-01-25T10:44:00.001-05:00

Okay, here's the second, and one of the few chances, you'll have to win Forever Richard. Lena Nelson Dooley has posted her interview with me on her blog. If you post a comment, you go into the hat to win a copy of Forever Richard (that is your name goes into a hat. I know, takes all the fun out of it. But trust me, getting into a hat yourself is some trick.)

Please drop by and say hello. You'll definitely have to say hello if you're an ACFW member as I know longer am one and I can't access the boards to say hello myself. Like everyone else, I have to watch my money and could only afford to belong to very few organizations. I had to stick with the Horror Writers Association because they support horror writing. Perhaps someone will feel sorry for me and let me into the ACFW anyway. :)

But do go check out Lena's blog!

2008 Bram Stoker Preliminary Ballot is out!

2009-01-22T11:19:00.002-05:00

The Horror Writers Association, of which I am a member, has released the preliminary ballot for the 2008 Bram Stoker Awards (to be announced this May!)

Some grand writers of horror, who happen to be Christians ;) are on this list. Legitimate horror stories written by Christians! How cool is that! I've put in bold those authors I know for a fact profess to be Christians. Actually, most authors on this list are Christians but I'm just pointing out the ones I know for a fact are.

Please note, while what these authors write as Christians can legitimately be called Christian Horror it isn't. Most books labeled Christian Horror describe work put out by the larger Christian houses who don't write horror. According to these publishers, the specific audience of Christians they serve doesn't want to read this type of story. They must be right because none of those authors are on this ballot.

2008 Preliminary Stoker Ballot

Superior Achievement in a Novel
Coffin County by Gary Braunbeck (Leisure)comment added by Sue - Someone else wrote "The mythology contains a Christian basis, but no sermons."
The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford (William Morrow)
Ghost Walk by Brian Keene (Leisure)
The Reach by Nate Kenyon (Leisure)
Duma Key by Stephen King (Scribner)
Johnny Gruesome by Gregory Lamberson (Bad Moon/Medallion)
Water Witch by Deborah Leblanc (Dorchester/Leisure)
Bad Moon Rising by Jonathan Maberry (Pinnacle)
Dead and Gone by Harry Shannon (Delirium Books)
The Price by Alexandra Sokoloff (St. Martins)
The Man on the Ceiling by Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem (Wizards of the Coast)

Superior Achievement in a First Novel
Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse by William D. Carl (Permuted Press)
Apricot Brandy by Lynn César (Juno Books)
Midnight On Mourn Street by Christopher Conlon (Earthling Publications)
Veins by Lawrence C. Connolly (Fantasist Enterprises)
Eternal Vigilance by Gabrielle S. Faust (Immanion Press)
The Gentling Box by Lisa Mannetti (Dark Hart Press)
Monster Behind the Wheel by Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlin (Delirium Books)
Frozen Blood by Joel A. Sutherland (Lachesis Publishing)
Crimson Orgy by Austin Williams (Borderlands Press)

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction
"The Lagerstatte" by Laird Barron (The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy)
The Shallow End of the Pool by Adam-Troy Castro (Creeping Hemlock)
Miranda by John R. Little (Bad Moon Books)
Redemption Roadshow by Weston Ochse (Burning Effigy)
The Confessions of St. Zach by Gene O'Neill (Bad Moon Books)
Orpheus and the Pearl by Kim Paffenroth comment added by Sue: Kim is a theologian and teaches theology at a Christian University. (Magus Press)
"Behold the Child" by Harry Shannon (Brimstone Turnpike)
Just Like Hell by Nate Southard (Thunderstorm Books)
Population Zero by Wrath James White (Cargo Cult Press)
Orgy of Souls by Wrath James White, and Maurice Broaddus (Apex Book Company)comment added by Sue: Maurice is a pastor.

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
"The Last Word" by Maria Alexander (Sins of the Sirens)
"Mama Strangelove's Remedies for Afterlife Disorders, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mother Death" by C. Dean Andersson (Brutarian)
"Consumed" by Michael Louis Calvillo (Horror Library Volume 3)
"Petrified" by Scott Edelman (Desolate Souls)
"Mechanix" by Christopher Fulbright (Bound for Evil)
The Lost by Sarah Langan (Cemetery Dance Publications)
"The Dude Who Collected Lovecraft" by Nick Mamatas, and Tim Pratt (Chizine)
"The Haven" by John Palisano (Horror Library Vol. 3)
"Turtle" by Lee Thomas (Doorways)
"The Blog at the End of the World" by Paul Tremblay (Chizine)
"Those Eyes" by Mark W. Worthen (Thinner Than Mist)

Superior Achievement in an Anthology
The Undead: Headshot Quartet edited by Christina Bivins and Lane Adamson (Permuted Press)
Like a Chinese Tattoo edited by Bill Breedlove (Dark Arts Books)
Horror Library, Vol. 3 edited by R. J. Cavender (Cutting Block Press)
Abominations edited by Tim Deal (Shroud Publishing)
Beneath the Surface edited by Tim Deal (Shroud Publishing)
Unspeakable Horrors edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Chad Helder (Dark Scribe Press)

Superior Achievement in a Collection
The Number 121 to Pennsylvania by Kealan Patrick Burke (Cemetery Dance Publications)
Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales by Fran Friel (Apex Publications)
Just After Sunset by Stephen King (Scribner)
Little Creatures by Michael McCarty (Sam's Dot Publishing)
Other Gods by Stephen Mark Rainey (Dark Regions Press)
The Autopsy and Other Tales by Michael Shea (Centipede)
Sheep and Wolves by Jeremy C. Shipp (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
Fourtold by Michael Stone (Baysgarth Publications)
Gleefully Macabre Tales by Jeff Strand (Delirium)
Ennui and Other States of Madness by David Niall Wilson (Dark Regions Press)

Superior Achievement in Nonfiction
Shadows Over New England by David Goudsward, and Scott T. Goudsward (BearManor Media)
Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula by Robert Eighteen-Bisang and Elizabeth Miller (McFarland)
Spirits and Death in Niagara by Marcy Italiano (Schiffer Publishing)
The New Annotated Dracula by Leslie S. Klinger (W. W. Norton)
Beauty and Dynamite by Alethea Kontis (Apex Publications)
Cheap Scares by Gregory Lamberson (McFarland)
Zombie CSU by Jonathan Maberry (Citadel)
Modern Mythmakers by Michael McCarty (McFarland)
A Hallowe'en Anthology by Lisa Morton (McFarland)
The Book of Lists: Horror by Amy Wallace, Del Howison, and Scott Bradley (Harper)

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection
The Nightmare Collection by Bruce Boston (Dark Regions Press)
The Phantom World by Gary William Crawford (Sam's Dot)
Virgin of the Apocalypse by Corrine De Winter (Sam's Dot Publishing)
The Flayed Man and Other Poems by Phillip A. Ellis (Gothic Press)
Attack Of The Two-Headed Poetry Monster by Mark McLaughlin and Michael McCarty (Skullvines Press)
Ghosts of Past and Future by Darrell Schweitzer (Borgo)

CONGRATS ALL!

HALF!

2009-01-20T13:04:00.004-05:00

Since it' about selling books, I thought I'd share.

Half!

That's what part of the retail price Amazon gets when a book sells from their site EVEN if that book is sold by someone other than Amazon. That's right, HALF!

That's why I'm suspicious about Amazon-USA changing the status of Forever Richard, released 01/05/09, from "out of print" to "available from these sellers" instead of also showing that the book is available through amazon-USA as well.

Forever Richard is available EVERYWHERE on the planet (and maybe even on some other planets.) Why would Amazon-USA not show that they can get the book when they can? Hmmmm . . . maybe they can make just as much money letting others simply sell it for them. That would be might guess anyway.

Please don't forget you can get an autographed copy from the publisher at www.thewriterscafe.com for retail all day long. *gasp*

Perish the thought!

Oh yes, I'm ecstatic Amazon-USA no longer shows Forever Richard as "out of print" a status they randomly selected out of the air. Now they can finally get the money they don't deserve for not selling a book they supposedly don't carry (even though they do carry it. :)

Impressive.

A Frank Review of Forever Richard, by Sue Dent

2009-01-18T21:38:00.001-05:00

By Frank Creed

Horror newcomer Sue Dent’s 2006 vampire and werewolf novel, Never Ceese, nailed down a few accolades of which you may have heard: short listed for the coveted Bram Stoker award, and named American Christian Fiction Writers book club choice of the month in May of 2007. How does a novelist top that?

By writing a superior sequel. Everyone knows that sequels have a bad reputation for falling short of an original concept. Especially for a new novelist, proving you’re not a fluke, that you can do it again, is a load on one’s back. Truly talented authors start strong and get even better, of which J.K. Rowling is a case study. Sue Dent is one of those writers. Never Ceese showcased her natural gifts for fun characters and suspenseful plot. Forever Richard is all that and more.

Synopsis without spoilers . . .
The saga of redemption and spiritual triumph that readers enjoyed in Never Ceese continues in Forever Richard. Cassie Felts, graduate student and reluctant believer of such things as vampires and werewolves, couldn't be happier for Richard and Ceese Porter. Their curses lifted and after hundreds of years apart, they can now celebrate being brother and sister once more. Even Rodney, Cassie's college roommate and former nemesis, shares Cassie’s relief. But will the faith that saved Richard and Ceese be enough to defeat the new evil that threatens them all?
Cassie learns that Dr. Clayton Henderson, the corrupt stem-cell researcher, has acquired the vampire's curse and has managed to transfer it to Rodney's troubled, drug-addicted buddy Josh. Addict or vampire, Cassie can see Josh isn't handling his new cravings for blood any better than he did his old habit. Their best hope seems to be taking Josh to Richard's isolated country estate in England. There, Josh can learn to temper his desire to curse another while they try to figure out how to deal with the impossible-to-kill Dr. Henderson.
Plans twist when they find a new vampire inhabiting Richard's castle, and a malevolent werewolf stalking Ceese. A long-lost relative shows up packing a sawed-off shotgun and an ancient knife which he claims has supernatural powers. Will the faith that redeemed two lost souls before be enough to overcome the wicked forces that now threaten to destroy them all?

Sue Dent’s creativity and sense of humor sparkle in Forever Richard. The plot twists and turns, surprises popping at readers from around corners. Items and people are usually not as they appear. Sue should be proud of having crafted a fun and entertaining read for all levels of readers that is still fully a horror novel.

Forever Richard’s bio-ethics theme is strong. What humankind can do always runs in advance of what we ought to do, and stem-cell researcher Dr. Clayton Henderson leaps moral bounds quick as a buck clearing a picket fence. His breaches of ethics aren’t about curing sick people at the expense of others’ lives, but the black-and-white mad scientist type of villainy. Henderson is an antagonist without depth, but is a common enemy whom many can unite to oppose—the kind of bad-guy a reader hopes to see destroyed as quickly as Parkinson’s disease.

Like Dracula, Forever Richard is respectful of the Christian worldview, and I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t drive stakes through the hearts of even more literary awards than did Never Ceese.

Christian Cyberpunk Novelist to Speak

2009-01-18T18:56:00.005-05:00

For Immediate Release:

Award-winning Christian Cyberpunk author Frank Creed will be appearing in Second Life, Tuesday, January 20 at 7 p.m. For Second Life residents the direct link to the location is slurl.com/secondlife/North%20Bound%20Marina/226/25/24 (or you can become a Second Life resident by going to www.secondlife.com and downloading the software).

This will be an informal discussion in which Creed will share about his writing, his life and the state of Christian speculative fiction. Questions will be entertained by Creed. Afterwards, plans include virtual surfing and socializing.

Creed is the founder of the Lost Genre Guild, a group of writers, editors and publishers of different types of speculative fiction with a Christian worldview.

"Christians own the copyright to demons and angels and spiritual warfare," notes Creed. "Yet, the bookshelves of Christian bookstores are almost totally devoid of speculative fiction except for some fairly sanitized young adult fantasies. Nevertheless, there is a small, but growing, group of writers and independent publishers using modern technology to make quality Christian speculative fiction available."

Creed is the author of Flashpoint and War of Attrition, both published by Writer's Café Press. Set in a future where fundamentalist Christians are considered terrorists, these books follow the exploits of a group of supernaturally cyber-enhanced resistance fighters using nonlethal weapons in an attempt to protect members of the underground church from the "Neros" or agents of the government seeking to crush the resistance and "re-educate" their members.

"I guess I created the first Christian Cyberpunk novel identified as such," says Creed. "There was a series of books published in the 1990s which might qualify as the first, but they were never marketed as cyberpunk."

In addition to writing the novels, Creed also helped co-author a role playing game based on the stories.

"I'm a gamer from way back. So, it was only natural for me to want to create an RPG where my readers could enter the world of The Underground," Creed explains.

Flashpoint has received critical acclaim and won several awards including: Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year (Elfwood 2006), CFRB Impress Award for best novel toured (2007), finalist for the Pluto Award for the Best Science Fiction Novel Reviewed, and was nominated for the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Clive Staples award.

"Jesus understood the power of the story to communicate in his world. We are creating the parables of a new generation," says Creed.

For more information email Terri Main at webservant2003@ yahoo.com

Looking for Forever Richard and can't find it?

2009-01-18T09:31:00.003-05:00

Well, did I stutter when I said the first print run was destined to sell out fast? :) Pre-orders are filled first and then on-line stores and bookstores and everyone else gets what's left. I suggest you get your order as soon as possible though. I will drop a little helpful information in your ear. Amazon-USA doesn't have a clue what's going on and shows Forever Richard as "Out of Print" with "limited availability," randomly pulling this status out of the air because TWCP is a small publisher and Amazon-USA is only in it for the money from the bigger publishers. They don't give a rip about smaller publishers and never have. Amazon-Canada is spot on as is Amazon-UK and every other branch of Amazon. Oh Amazon-USA, I bow to your immense knowledge.

So if you actually want a book in a timely manner, might I suggest you order through my publisher where you'll also get an autographed copy. Here's the link:

Order autographed copy here!

Also Lena Dooley on shoutlife.com (I'll post a link when the interview is up) will have another coveted copy of Forever Richard to win when she post her interview with me this coming week. I'd take advantage if I were you but do remember this free book comes from my author copies and I don't even have those yet! Pre-orders baby, they've got to be filled.

Sorry if you missed out on that . . . NOT! LOL

A banner for your blog?

2009-01-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

You won't see the entire image here but if you right click then save, you can see the banner in all it's *ahem* glory?

You can link it to my website at www.foreverrichard.com or my publishers website at www.thewriterscafe.com

Thanks to anyone who feels inclined to post it! There will be more to choose from. :)

2009-01-16T22:16:00.001-05:00

Oi! Am FINALLY done with conference work for the night. Love the Catholic Writers Conference Online; hate the nitnoid work of setting it up.

2009-01-16T14:40:00.001-05:00

Time to stop adding spices to the chili. Must remember Pot of 1989.

2009-01-16T13:43:00.001-05:00

:P Three conference letters done. Hopefully people will read them so they can handle the chat rooms and forums with east. CWCO rocks!

2009-01-16T11:22:00.001-05:00

Great article for writers new to Twitter--who to follow! Good for others, too. http://ping.fm/Zg6mO

2009-01-16T11:15:00.001-05:00

Just loaded the bookstore for the Catholic Writers Conference Online. Now I need to send letters to presenters and registrants. SQUEE!

2009-01-14T20:31:00.001-05:00

talking writing on the writers chat room. join us! http://ping.fm/gWDfq

2009-01-14T18:35:00.001-05:00

getting interviewed on internet radio in 30 minutes: http://ping.fm/1qFVT
call in at (646) 929-1455
7 pm est

Thirsting for Blood series - Book 2 Forever Richard

2009-01-14T11:32:00.000-05:00

Forever Richard, book two in my Thristing for Blood series hit my doorstep yesterday and so I am doing a happy dance!! *please note this is physically challenging and shouldn't be done unless furniture is pushed out of the way - ow* Yes a box of Forever Richard for me to sign and send back to the publisher to start sending out to those who've ordered already. These aren't my author copies though so the very few copies I'll be sending out to reviewers (Jake Chism, British Fantasy Society (hardcopy) etc . . .) won't be headed out today.

But yes! Do the happy dance with me but do be careful. :)

2009-01-14T11:31:00.001-05:00

MORE PETA: Seakittens? How about riverkittens, lakekittens, swampkittens... Do seakittens chase swamprats? http://ping.fm/v41HZ

2009-01-13T18:31:00.001-05:00

Join me Jan 14, 7-9 PM EST at the Writers Jungle. I talk editing & DragonEye. Phone in 646-929-1455
http://ping.fm/1qFVT

2009-01-13T18:22:00.001-05:00

Take 2: Fall ends, birds take flight/duties fulfilled, scarecrow rests/on the frigid drift
I'll put a photo up on my blog Thursday

2009-01-13T18:19:00.001-05:00

Minot haiku: lone scarecrow reposed/on frigid drift, awaiting death/it's winter all right
Ending could be more profound...nah

2009-01-13T18:13:00.003-05:00

Minot ditty: half hour of sun/grab the shovel and run!/more snow to come

2009-01-13T18:13:00.001-05:00

Minot Haiku: billowing snow arches/bare the cold sidewalk below/i love snowblowers

2009-01-13T14:32:00.001-05:00

Haiku for Rob: Walk a missile site/sinking waist deep in the snow/who put a ditch there?

2009-01-12T19:57:00.001-05:00

Final scrub of Magic Mensa and Mayhem sent to Swimming Kangaroo. How do those typos sneak back in?

2009-01-12T10:21:00.001-05:00

At my crit group in NYC--Got to love telecommunting!

Christianbook.com - following the trend.

2009-01-11T10:08:00.004-05:00

*note: general market readers need not bore yourself with this blog. You'll have no trouble finding my books. :)*

Nothing is more rewarding to an author than when their work appeals to a market they didn't write for. Nothing is more frustrating than when the the exclusiveness of that market prevents them from taking advantage of well deserved sales.

Never Ceese and Forever Richard, my vampire/werewolf series, written for the general market reader have been overwhelmingly accepted by a very specific market of Christian readers. Christianbook.com is one of the larger bookselling sites that these readers visit to buy books. I'm asked quite frequently if my books can be purchased through Christianbook.com and so I solicted CBD about why my books weren't listed already. Afterall, my publisher produces Christian-friendly fiction. :)

Here's what I was told:

. . . product discussions would take place between your publisher and the buyer with whom they already have contact . . . direct your publisher to make the inquiry on your behalf.

Sounds reasonable except that my publisher's distributor (clearly on my publisher's behalf) has already contacted CBD at some point as some of their titles are already listed. So it seems that a publisher or their distributor must contact CBD for each title they'd like considered. A little tedious and a bit confusing. If a few books from a publisher are accepted and that publisher serves the market you sell books to, why not list all of their books especially when they distribute through Ingram's Christian arm, Spring Arbor? Just an odd way to do business IMO.

The above was a recently recieved response and directly contradicts a response I got when I asked if Never Ceese could be listed in 2007. A portion of that response read:

. . . If there is interest in your product, we will contact the publisher or manufacturer directly. Independent products (that is, items being marketed by either the author or a small publisher) may be sent to Christian Book Distributors for review . . .

So there you have it. CBD calls for books produced by small publishers, Christian or otherwise, to be reviewed suggesting that small publishers fall into the same category as self=published authors, the same lingo a larger Christian blog tour uses as the rule for selecting books they want to tour. The larger Christian publishers (Thomas Nelson, Waterbrook, Tyndale etc . . .) books tend to go up automatically without question.

It is a trend in Christian publishing and I suppose it will be a while before readers become aware, to accept that the larger Christian publishers are the only ones capable of producing Christian fiction. The distinction is never made that the books produced are specific to a particular brand of faith and that the work doesn't appeal to the broader market of Christians.

Until the word is out, just know that Christianbook.com does seem to be following that trend. A book that isn't put out by the larger Christian houses won't go up for pre-order and won't be listed until sales sky rocket or enough of you call to say you want to see it there.

It's a market issue and a very specific one at that.

2009-01-09T23:22:00.001-05:00

Last for the night: Hey, PETA: I just got a new seakittening rod! http://ping.fm/v41HZ

2009-01-09T22:32:00.001-05:00

Vern: If PETA tries to change my species name to "cavebunny," can I flame them? http://ping.fm/v41HZ

2009-01-09T21:35:00.001-05:00

Will PETA next lobby to have all seakittens spade and neutered?

2009-01-09T20:29:00.001-05:00

PETA: Giving cat haters a reason to live since 2009. http://ping.fm/v41HZ

2009-01-09T18:44:00.001-05:00

Alex's addition: No--Octopus Prime!

2009-01-09T18:43:00.001-05:00

PETA: the Fish are petitioning for the name Sub Optimus Prime or Sea-World of Warcraft. http://ping.fm/v41HZ

2009-01-09T14:54:00.001-05:00

bah! wrote myself into a corner again!

2009-01-09T14:21:00.001-05:00

PETA Primer: Seakittens! Seakittens swim. Swim, kittens, swim...no, uh, wait... http://ping.fm/v41HZ

2009-01-09T11:43:00.001-05:00

PETA does Shakespeare: What's in a name? A fish by any other name would smell as...no, wait... http://ping.fm/v41HZ

2009-01-09T11:41:00.001-05:00

PETA wants to rename fish, "seakittens." http://ping.fm/v41HZ It's open season on PETA--comment now!

2009-01-09T10:30:00.001-05:00

Please vote Leaps of Faith for best antho in the P&E poll: http://ping.fm/ckWd2 Book Info: www.leapsoffaithsf.com

2009-01-09T10:07:00.001-05:00

Winter Haiku: Cold flakes fall foot deep/Drifts tower over my head/Shovel on, Minot!

Karina's Take on Newsletters and Her Experiment

2009-01-08T10:44:00.000-05:00

One thing I'm hearing more and more about as a publicity tool is to have a newsletter. I think this can be both good and bad--I've seen newsletters that are little more than organized blogs; some that are All About Me; and some the pretend to be useful but are all a big ad. (They give you a tease of a topic then tell you to buy the book, buy the class, etc. in order to get real information.)

It's also harder for the fiction writer. I really don't think a newsletter is useful unless you are either wildly popular--in which case, why are you putting that work into a newsletter instead of your next novel?--or you don't have enough material to sustain a newsletter; in which case it's the All About Me/Ads thing again.

However, I have a universe that I call DragonEye, PI. the main characters are a dragon detective, Vern, and his mage/nun partner, Sister Grace. They solve mysteries, battle evil, save the universes... It's a ton of fun to write in, so I have several stories and two novels coming out so far. However, I am working with a small press, so the chances of my being "discovered" and becoming a smash hit without a lot of effort are slim to none. I'll need to develop my following, and I have a well-established enduring world to pull from. I think I have the right ingredients for a newsletter.

Thus, I've started a newsletter about my DragonEye, PI universe that I love to write about. A Dragon's Eye View comes out bi-monthly and includes a short article from me, a rant from Vern, Faerie Facts and special offers. It's available to DragonEye, PI members, so sign up today.

In the inaugural issue:

* How Karina came up with the idea for DragonEye, PI
* Vern rants about human misconceptions regarding dragons
* Vern's explanation of the Faerie World (from Magic, Mensa and Mayhem, coming March 2009 from Swimming Kangaroo)
* Special offers and events

Sneak Peak:

* I am not a fire hazard. I can control my fire better than you can control your bowels, thank you very much. Also, it took me over 800 years of service to earn my fire back--I am not going to lose it because you annoyed me, forgot the title of my book, called me a dinosaur, whatever. I can deal with you in other ways.

I'll try to let you know how successful the newsletter is in drawing readers, generating feedback, etc. In the meantime, I hope you'll check it out.

Dimensions in Our Universe

2009-01-07T12:43:00.004-05:00

On a serious note, in A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking says that quantum physicists know of eleven dimensions to our universe, and others theorize twelve. The more we learn about science, the more we find God's fingerprints.

For example it’s easier to believe in places like Heaven and Hell than skeptics would have one think.

The Bible claims that the spiritual may not be apprehended with our own sensory perceptions. Such places may exist on a sub-microscopic level within the universe around us. Are there extra-dimensional beings? We know of at least angels, and the Boss himself.

On a less-taxing note, novelist Bryn T. Jones (The Next Chapter) asked me, "Just for fun--what would eight dimensions be? We have height, width, depth, time..."

Before we knew that time was part of the universe’s fabric, humankind only knew of our three dimensions of space. The Fifth Dimension (Up Up and Away in my Beautiful Balloon), thought the name of their musical group was all cutting-edge. Not!

So just for fun, we need four more dimensions. Any suggestions?

My own very very finite brain has apprehended one terrestrial dimension that humankind did not immediately recognize.

S.T.I.N.K.: Mom was bed-bound for fifteen years—that I get. But, ever been around a healthy able-body with hygiene issues? There ya’ go.

Just Google: olfactory perceptions of space and you’ll find what I like to call: Superdimensional Transuniversal Intuitive Nasal Knowledge, AKA, S.T.I.N.K.). 8D

Gotta go. I’m callin’ the Nobel Prize peeps.

2009-01-07T01:36:00.001-05:00

Did so much e-mailing, my server has locked me out! With 8 msgs in the outbox! Wah!

A FRANK REVIEW: New Release, Another Blog Tour & Conference Pitch Sessions

2009-01-06T10:51:00.000-05:00

A FRANK REVIEW: New Release, Another Blog Tour & Conference Pitch Sessions

2009-01-05T09:53:00.001-05:00

Catholic Writers Conference--online and FREE! All welcome; respect our faith. Feb 2-9 www.catholicwritersconference.com Register by Jan 15

January, 5th is HERE! Buy Forever Richard IF

2009-01-04T12:53:00.006-05:00

Buy Forever Richard if:

1. you want to read a good story with vampires and werewolves in it.

2. you enjoy a good story with vampires and werewolves in it.

3. you like a good fantasy with vampires and werewolves in it.

4. you enjoy stories written by Christian authors that aren't specific to a particular brand of faith.

5. you enjoy reading work that appeals to a very broad audience.

6. you enjoy vampire and werewolf lore pretty much as it is with only very, very slight variances. (sort of like sparkly vampires but not quite! That's already been done and quite well I might add! :)

7. you like the hunk on the cover! :D Hey, that's a good reason to buy any book in my neck of the woods!

8. enjoy books written, according to reviewers, in the style of Rowlings and King (I don't get that last comparison myself but someone else said it noted The Stand specifically.)

Check back for more reasons later!

Oh and did I say buy Forever Richard and preferably from The Writers Cafe Press so you can get an autographed copy.

An Author's Christmas Wish List

2008-12-22T10:12:00.001-05:00

It's time once again for my annual Author's Christmas Wish List. In keeping with just about everything else in my life, I'm late on it, but the good news is--none of these are limited to the Yuletide season. You can make any author in your life happy with these gifts--some of time, some of talent, and some of treasure.

Gifts of Time:

Take my book to a store and ask the owner to stock it
Mention to friends or user groups about my website or blog
Babysit the kids so I can have a few quiet hours for writing
Help me set up a book signing at your local bookstore or library (especially appreciated if we live far from each other and I'm coming for a visit)
Contact your local newspaper or radio station about me and arrange an interview--also a great idea if I happen to be coming for a visit

Gifts of Talent:

Create a website for me--or better yet, teach me how
Make a template I can modify
Ideas on how I can market myself or my books--and help me to put them into practice!
Design a banner, book "sell sheet" (a one-page flyer about the book), or other marketing materials

Gifts of Treasure:

Music to write by
Amazon gift certificates to get books
Buy my book--order it from a bookstore
Buy me a domain name for my website
Bookmarks with my cover, name and website
Subscription to writers market
Journals
Book signing gear--poster with my photo and name on it (see link), a roll-away carrier to put the books and materials, book stands
Business cards
Gift certificate to a printer/VistaPrint if they do that
A really good pen!
Large envelopes
Stamps
Business-sized envelopes

Realms Publishing - who is their market?

2008-12-20T09:13:00.006-05:00

*oops big ol' typo in the Title of this original post -- so what else is new. All better now :)*

Strang Communication, a member of the Christian Booksellers Assocition (CBA)has added a new CBA imprint called Realms publishing. From the Realms publishing site:

Discover Christian fiction that charts realms no living human has visited before. Fantasy, supernatural thrillers, time travel, spiritual warfare, futuristic fiction. Mind-stretching thrillers from the most imaginative Christian authors of our day.

CBA and ECPA readers should be ecstatic but I'd like to challenge other readers to keep in mind this work is only produced to appeal to the very specific market CBA member publishers write for just as Harlequin Romances appeal to a very specific market of romance readers.

If you're interested in reading Fantasy, supernatural thrillers, time travel, spiritual warfare, futuristic fiction that appeal to the broader market reader, you'll be more successful looking for work not affiliated with the CBA and ECPA market. :)

Also, to help you in your search for publishers who write for the broader Christian market and not just that market CBA serves I've added a link that lists all CBA member publishers. If a publisher is on this list then you can rest assured they write for that specific market that CBA serves. ;)

Again, you may very well enjoy what Realms puts out or any other CBA house for that matter. But the work is intended to appeal to only that very specific market of Christians that general market readers find difficult to enjoy.

Publishers who are members of CBA.

If you like the work these publishers put out then you'd most likely enjoy attending Christian Book Expo (CBE) as these are the publishers that will be there. Yes. I'm sure Strang will be there and Realms as well as will all the other CBA specific imprints owned by general market publishers such as Waterbrook, Multnomah, Hachette's CBA imprint FaithWords, Simon & Schuster's CBA imprint Howard just to name a few.

Part two of TCM interview found here!

2008-12-19T11:31:00.002-05:00

You can read part two of the interview done by Jake Chism of The Christian Manifesto by clicking below.

Excerpt for Forever Richard up!

2008-12-19T11:27:00.002-05:00

Excerpt from Forever Richard is now up at The Christian Manifiesto. If you'd like you can click here to read it. I think my "publisher" made an excellent choice.

Enjoy!

The Christian Manifesto interviews author Sue Dent

2008-12-15T14:10:00.003-05:00

According to Jake Chism of The Christian Manifesto, part one of my interview with him will go up tomorrow, December 16th and part two will go up Friday. I was so excited when Jake asked me to do this interview since most sites geared toward Christian readers don't come to me for an interview even though I am an author who appeals to many of their reading public. And what grand questions as well! Hopefully my answers will keep some poor author from stumbling around in the pervasive darkness of the Christian publishing world. Make sure and check:

tomorrow, December 16th to see the results. Here's a snippit from one of my answers to whet your appetite:

". . . put lipstick on a pig and . . ."

There. That ought to peak your interest. LOL But if that isn't enough, there will also be an excerpt from Forever Richard going up but I'm not sure which day. :)

Happy reading and thank-you again Jake!

Review of League of Superheroes by Stephen Rice

2008-12-08T10:53:00.002-05:00

When it comes to Christian superheroes, I'm really more of a Larryboy fangirl, myself. It's very hard to make a Bible-quoting superhero work, in my humble opinion. Bibleman, for example--could anyone take that show seriously? Batman meets a revival of stereotypical proportions. I wouldn't even bother showing that to my kids--they'd laugh and not for good reasons like with Veggie Tales cartoons.

Well, if you'd like your kids to read about Christian superheroes they can identify with, I recommend Steven Rice's League of Superheroes. Here's a fun easy read about a band of teenage kids (plus one little sister) who meet a cyborg supergenius online. Genie gifts them with supersuits based on their favorite comic book heroes, setting them up for trouble with the mega-corporation who created Genie and intend to keep her--and any of her inventions--for their own nefarious purposes.

Oh, did that read like a comic book plot? It should. Steve was very obviously having fun with the comic book stereotypes, as well as the unbelievably intelligent-yet-doomed-to-endure-high-school cast of teens. He nonetheless crafts an enjoyable read and keptt he characters from becoming perfect geniuses, a la Wesley Crusher. I especially liked Rod's misadventures with his suit. The heroes at times strayed into unbelievable goodness, yet still had some of the common foibles of teenage boys--a certain disdain for little sisters, a penchant for getting into trouble, and the like--that kept them from becoming caricatures rather than characters.

If you like plausible technobabble, you'll love this book. Steve is very careful to give scientifically possible methods for each one of the supersuit's capabilities--and does a good job of explaining them. Makes me want to go back and check out a quantum physics book. He also gave each suit a limitation, which I appreciate. Can you imagine how insufferable a teenage boy with the perfect supersuit could be?

Steve also does his best to represent a tapestry of Christian beliefs, as the characters are Catholic, Baptist, Assembly of God and non-denominational, and he does a fair job of representing all the beliefs in a valid and positive light. Since the story is told from Tom's point of view, it has a decidedly Protestant angle. I found some of the religious dialogue and events a little heavy-handed for my taste, especially toward the end, but not enough to call it sermon-in-a-story. (One of my pet peeves.)

Steve has a nice, straightforward writing style that's good for the middle reader--I'd recommend this book for 4th or 5th grade and up. Plus, Steven, on occasion, comes up with a killer line: I felt like a Biblical character who had just received a patriarchal blessing—honored, mature, strong, and above all, so scared that I needed to use the bathroom. He also has a lot of skill with ending a chapter in such a way that you want to turn the next page, so watch out if you read this as a bedtime story to your kids.

Review by Karina Fabian, www.fabianspace.com

Christian Book Expo - The Expo for Christian Publishers?

2008-12-07T14:45:00.000-05:00

There is still quite a bit of buzz about CBE (Christian Book Expo.) Every publisher who produces fiction that doesn't offend your basic Christian reader probably wonders if it's worth their time and money to go.

This information might help you. I visited a blog recently that claimed CBE expected a large turn out of "ECPA publishers and publishers from the general market who produce Christian fiction." I commented that I thought this wording was odd. ECPA and CBA came into existence to monitor work produced by affiliated publishers, "Christian Fiction" that could go into affiliated bookstores without offending a particular demographic of Christians, a market no general market publisher had yet to address according to CBA and ECPA.

In response to my comment I was told that "there are a bunch of general market publishers who do Christian books (HarperCollins owns Zondervan and HarperOne, Random House owns Waterbrook and Multnomah, Hachette owns FaithWords, Simon & Schuster owns Howard, etc). They'll all be there. And the parent companies will all be at BEA."

Do I really have to state the obvious? The publishers named above are all owned by general market publsihers but are not general market publishers themselves. They are all ECPA or CBA affiliated and serve that specific demographic CBA and ECPA were set up to serve.

So, if you're wondering about what Christian publishers will attend, so far it seems only CBA or ECPA affiliated ones. General Market publishers who produce books that appeal to the general market, Christians included, will be attending BEA of course or whatever other expo suits their demographic. ;)

Also noted was that CBE, under the leadership of Michael Hyatt of CBA affiliated Thomas Nelson, would most likely do well enough to replace International Christian Resource Show started by CBA themselves.

Well it certainly seems likely now doesn't it?

They get it!

2008-12-07T14:14:00.004-05:00

Readers are seeing that one can be a Christian and still write a novel that appeals to a very broad market.

I found this while googling. Never Ceese is mentioned in this piece under Literature AND it is noted that Never Ceese is a Christian vampire/werewolf novel AND is not torn apart because of this little known fact. And I'm mentioned in the same breath (or rather blog) as Tolkien for Heaven's sake! :)

*Dabs at corner of eyes with tissue.*

You can check it out here.

I've got to go pinch myself because I know I'm dreaming.

Ow, ow, ow . . .

Christian Readers reach for more vampires and werewolves!

2008-12-03T11:19:00.006-05:00

The pending release of Forever Richard, the second werewolf and vampire novel by novelist Sue Dent has caused much excitement--and threatens a first printrun sellout-- from a surprising source: Christian readers.

Click here to read the press release. :)

Christian Book Expo: Not For Us?

2008-11-18T11:53:00.011-05:00

I don't know of a single Christian publisher who is NOT attending Christian Book Expo.
—Michael S. Hyatt (President and CEO, Thomas Nelson), September 2008

Back in September, Sue Dent wrote a blog about the Christian Book Expo; Michael Hyatt responded with the statement above.

My initial reaction was that either Mr. Hyatt is being:
a. condescending,
b. overly optimistic, or
c. held captive in his ivory tower without the requisite golden locks to freedom.

I wanted to, but didn't respond because I was working long hours to keep my own little publishing venture whistling along and I had to attend to a family emergency back in Canada. More important matters came to my attention and I forgot all about it.

This weekend, while reading an industry newsletter, the Christian Book Expo came up again and reminded me of what Mr. Hyatt had written here. It made me curious enough to do some research and then respond today—not that I have any more time than I did in September, but now I have some things to say!

Not that Mr. Hyatt gives a rat's banana, but TWCP is one Christian publisher who will not be at the CBE.

Why not?

1. TWCP's budget will not stretch to accommodate the $29.75/ square foot cost of a 100 sq. ft. booth (total $2975).

Hmmm, TWCP could share the expense with someone else and the cost would be more doable at $1487.50. (non-ECPA member price)

Wait! if two groups share the booth, then each has to pay an additional $500. $1987.50 is still steep for one-half of a 6 foot table. (http://christianbookexpo.com/pdf/CBE-Pricing.pdf).

2. Because TWCP operates on a budget that in no way resembles the large Christian publishers, I have to choose events responsibly. My usual process is to attend an event as an observer one year, scope out the situation, ask questions, observe, and then make a decision about attending the next year.

This is the CBE's first year, so I can't do that. So, I could be an observer in 2009—but need to weigh the cost of airfare and hotel (and entry fee, which I can't find anywhere) against other possibilities for book promotion.

3. TWCP isn't a member of the ECPA.

ECPA

Small Press Member
Member Application
For evangelical publishers with annual sales less than $1M.
(A letter of recommendation from a Voting ECPA Member is required.)

Annual Dues: $600 Member Application

We don't qualify to be a member (except for the <$1M annual sales!). TWCP does not necessarily publish evangelical books—jeepers, some of our authors are even CATHOLIC! (Yup, the truth is out) who write from a Catholic worldview. Oh, and some of the authors may even be Democrats. Shudder.

But more to the point, the type of speculative fiction we publish does not appeal to the same market as the fiction produced by ECPA houses. In fact, the market to which the CBA appeals would consider many of our offerings to be un-Christian (you know, sci-fi, cyberpunk, horror, role-playing games and all those bad things).

Even if we could afford to attend the CBE, I am not at all convinced that the time, effort and cost would be an efficient and effective use of the marketing budget.

So, Mr. Michael S. Hyatt, now you know of one Christian publisher who will not be attending the Christian Book Expo. FYI.

Cynthia MacKinnon

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter, The Shack & edgy Christian Fiction!

2008-11-17T15:45:00.005-05:00

Four things that have a LOT in common! They will currently get you a ton of hits on your blog! So if you're looking to get someone to look at what you've written, post something on any of these subjects.

J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter will work best to get you hits if you push the possible Christian allegory or lack thereof, whichever your opinion is. Readers of Protestant friendly fiction particularly like to sound off on this. I'm not looking to get hits so I'll not share my opinion. *but my daughter has read everyone of Ms. Rowling's books and loved them and absorbed them and forced me to attend two mid-night book release parties the second of which I set her off on her own and told her to call me when she had her book!*

Edgy Christian Fiction will also warrent a look or two especially since those who post about this don't usually share that they're talking about Christian fiction that appeals to a particular audience of Christians who aren't used to seeing edgy fiction whatever edgy is. That's another question in and of itself.

The same goes for posting about what makes a Christian Fiction book Christian? It's hardly a valid question or one that can really be answered unless the poster specifies whether they're referring to the broader Christian market of Christian fiction or fiction targeted to a select group of believers.

And by ALL means post something about The Shack! Even if you've never read the book. And don't just give a review. Give a disertation disguised as a review. It doesn't even matter if you liked the book or not. You're sure to fill you hit quota for the week.

And if all that fails, post something about steampunk desk or mouse or steampunk whatever. Mr. Frank Creed seems to get more hits than anyone else on this blog concerning his posting of such subject matter.