Local Kick-off book signing at B&N!

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

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!

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

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

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!

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.

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!

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

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,
f

As reviews start coming in . . .

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

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

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

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!

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?

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.