Christian Fiction v Clean Read: Are You Confused? by Vicki Hinze

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Vicki Hinze

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Christian Fiction v Clean Read:  Are You Confused?

 

 

In the past few months, I’ve often been asked what is the difference between books that are labeled Christian fiction and books labeled Clean Reads.  I thought I’d address in case you’re confused by this labeling of books.

 

Christian fiction is fiction that has a distinct and deliberate Christian element.  It can be told from a Christian perspective, or told by a non-Christian perspective, but the Christian element is in the novel.

 

Either the story is structured and unfolds based on Christian principles, or one (or more) of the characters are Christian and they face the obstacles and events in the stories from that perspective.  Perhaps the main character is not a Christian at the beginning of the story, but as a result of events encountered during the story, becomes a Christians at the end of the story.  The story can also be seated in a Christian theme.

 

Regardless of how the Christian element is injected into the story, it is significant to the story and plays a key role.  In other words, if that Christian element were removed, then the story would be a different story.

 

A Clean Read is a story created for the general market and not specifically for the Christian reading community.  It follows many of the dictates for Christian fiction, in that there is no premarital sex or foul language.  Obstacles and challenges are met and faced through a variety of means, but in Clean Reads, you won’t find explicit sexual conduct or bad language.

 

In either, because fiction emulates life, you will find bad situations, challenges that must be faced and overcome.  But in Clean Reads you can include a religious or faith element but one isn’t required.  In other words, a story might be seated on Biblical principles but the Bible not be mentioned.

 

Some Christian authors write both Christian fiction and Clean Reads.  I’m one of them.  Now I wrote for a long time before writing Christian fiction and I began writing Clean Reads after then.  So some of my older books (many of which are being republished by publishers) are general audience reads.  But once I began writing Christian fiction, I eliminated those aspects mentioned earlier from my work.  Still, I didn’t want to leave the readers without my books, so I began writing Clean Reads, too.

 

I firmly believe this is what I’m supposed to do.  Go to people where they are, as Christ did by example.  So I continue to write many types of stories in many genres, and for many different types of people.  Some are Christian fiction.  Mystery and Romantic Thrillers, mostly.  Some are Clean Reads.  Romantic suspense and mystery, mostly.

 

Over the past twenty-five years, I’ve written just about all kinds of novels with the exception of horror.  (I write healing books, and healing and horror haven’t meshed well for me.)  So all of my books have healing themes and I use suspense, mystery and romance in each of them.  In some, there’s more suspense.  In others, more romance.  But those things remain in my books whether they are Christian Fiction or Clean Reads.

 

Why is that?

 

Because every author has an author theme and writing healing books—books where the characters face tough battles but heal—is mine.

 

And because for me to love a book, it must have suspense, mystery and romance.  I like many other books or books without those three elements, but I don’t love them.  And I promised myself many years ago, I wouldn’t invest my time—that’s my life—in writing books I don’t love.

 

So I’ve always written healing books with elements of suspense, mystery and romance.  And for the past few years, those books are either Christian fiction or Clean Reads.

 

It’s worth mentioning that writers construct books based on their own perspective.  It comes through deliberately and unintentionally, in what we deem is important enough to get on the page.  In the way we see things.  Our perspective shapes the story.  So you will see Clean Reads that are seated in Biblical principles because it’s how believers think and the prism through which they see things.

 

Can an author write books outside that prism?  Yes.  But they rarely do because it isn’t natural to them.

 

So Christian fiction contains an overt Christian message (not to be confused with soapbox or preaching to readers).  The message is interwoven into the novel’s fabric.  Clean Reads are those suitable for most readers and doesn’t carry an overt Christian message.

 

Hope this clears any confusion.

 

Blessings,

 

Vicki

VICKI HINZE

 

 

 

 

 

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WHEELING ALONG WITH EASE by Yvonne Lehman

Posted on September 20, 2013 by yvon63

Two neighbor children, a four-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl, ride their bicycles that have no pedals. I watch them from my upstairs office window as they ride along the street that’s fairly level. They push with their feet and when they get the bicycles rolling they lift their feet and steer the bicycles, not with pedals, but with balance.

I realize that’s a really neat idea. They’re learning balance which is much neater than having them pedal, lose balance, fall, scrape their knees or break their arms. Having balance is the most important part of the bicycle ride, not the pumping of the pedals.

After they have balance, the pedals can be added and the children can ride with, or without the pedals because they have balance. They can coast down the hill without fear. They can push the bicycle up the hill with their feet. Learning balance first will make their future journeys more enjoyable.

That brought to mind balance in writing, or in life really. I remember my children cramming for exams (well, I’m guilty too). But learning to balance a study-schedule or writing-schedule can make things easier, whether it’s an exam or a writing project.

Too often I’m at the end of a novel with a deadline looming. My writing goes much easier when I practice balance. Instead of procrastinating at the beginning of the writing and then cramming it in at the end, life and novel-writing work best when I have a schedule. I can veer from the schedule when needed, but accomplish so much more when my time is balanced.

Now, I will pick up my feet and my creative wheels will take me through the novel writing journey with perfect balance and ease. Well… forgive me for that. I am a fiction writer. But, balance in life being an asset is a fact.

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Writers and Their Ilk by Maureen Lang

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Maureen Lang

acfwlogoThis past weekend a few of us here at Christians Read attended the American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Indianapolis. It’s hard to describe the blessing of being in a room (a crowded room!) filled not only with others who love to worship God, but also share a similar passion for the gifts He gives. In the halls or workshop rooms or at the banquet tables, each of us knew at any given moment we could talk to someone who knows what it’s like to create a character, build a story world, or record scenes on the page with the hope of transferring an emotion from our heart to the heart of a reader.

While it’s probably true that most if not all writers were readers first, there is something different about that other step, the one that makes some readers want to become writers. I’m not sure what it is, where you’d find that difference on our DNA, but I’m pretty sure it has to do with what made us readers in the first place. Most of the writers I know tend to be sensitive toward what evokes emotion—and isn’t that what reading is all about? It’s what both readers and writers are after, immersion into a world apart that can create anything from laughter to tears on a roller coaster ride of emotion.

Another aspect came up in the wonderful conference workshop that our own Jim Rubart taught with Allen Arnold: God made us in His image—to be creators. We’re all creators with a small “c” in some way or another. Some of us create crafts or artwork or feasts or an inviting environment for people to call home, while others create in less tangible (but still vital) ways by encouraging/protecting/teaching. Still others create within the science or business world. The kind of creator God made those of us at the conference is a creator of stories. Whenever we’re doing what God wired us to do, we feel His pleasure. Maybe that’s why it’s likely no matter what kind of creator God made you to be, you enjoy being with others who share a similar passion.

So what do writers do at a writer’s conference? The main purpose is to enjoy workshops that teach either the craft of writing or the business side of our careers. Occasionally there are workshops that explore the spiritual side of the writing life, which is what Jim offered. Conferences, especially Christian ones, are like one great big hug fest where we finally get to see the people we chat with on blogs and writer’s loops throughout the rest of the year. The events are meant to instruct, inspire and nurture fellowship, and this one didn’t fall short in any way.

Here’s a picture of me (left) with Jim and our fellow blogger Beth Goddard:
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We’re already looking forward to next year!

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Maybe I Don’t Hate My Kindle by James L. Rubart

Posted on September 17, 2013 by James L. Rubart

I never hated it. I just didn’t like giving up the tactile sensation of feeling a book in my fingers. Being able to turn back ten pages in a blink, not a series of clicks. I liked being able to set a new friend on my bookshelf and know they’re there.

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BUT … having been on the road for most of the past three weeks, I’m giving a bit of room in my heart for the big K. And that’s one of the selling points, isn’t it? The big K is actually quite small and yet can hold thousands of books.

I like that I can highlight sections that impact me, and access those lines (and only those lines) much faster than I could access them by pawing through the physical book.

And yet … sales of e-books are slowing down. It appears they’re not going to take over the world.

How ’bout you? Are you reading more or less e-books these days? If you weren’t quite sold on e-books, are you embracing e-books more or still resistant? If you were an early adopter are you more convinced than ever, or have you pulled back a bit?

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The Passion of the Christ by Sara Goebel

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Sarah Goebel

I know we all love our books, but sometimes we also like to watch a great movie. Last week, I  actually had an assignment in my NT class to watch the movie, The Passion of the Christ for the purpose of contrasting it with Scripture itself. I thought I would share my thoughts with you concerning it.

Although as the critics like to say, it is not 100% Scriptural, it is my opinion that Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ does a tremendous portrayal of the purpose of Jesus Christ’s life (John 18:37, John 10:10), as well as, revealing the high cost involved to obtain salvation for those who would believe in Him.ThePassionoftheChrist

The movie begins with a heart-wrenching scene of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Although dramatized for Hollywood’s purposes, Gibson’s effort to depict Christ’s struggle in gaining strength for the mission at hand as He prayed to the Father for the cup to pass from Him is a good portrayal of the Scripture as found in Matthew 26:37-39. Scripture tells us that Jesus was strengthened by an angel to complete His mission (Luke 22:43). One could see the strength rise in Jesus as He stood tall and stomped on the head of the serpent. Although this scene is not found in the passion narrative, it does reveal the truth of Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel,” which reveals the victory that will be accomplished through His impending suffering and death.

Satan did not know the plan of God for the salvation of the world through the death of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:8); however, the statement he makes to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane that it is too much to expect one man to die for the souls of sinners, powerfully explains what was taking place – one man dying for many.

Another scene that was embellished, yet displayed powerful truths, was the scene where Jesus is arrested.  In the movie, there was a fight that took place before taking Jesus captive, however, Scripture shows us that only Peter drew a sword and cut off Malchus’ ear.  Jesus then rebuked Peter and healed the man’s severed ear. In other words, Jesus gave Himself up freely.

There are many things found in the movie that are not in Scripture such as: (1) the disciples referring to Mary as Mother which reflects a Roman Catholic bias; (2) Jesus was dropped over a bridge, hanging just above the ground with His eyes meeting those of Judas Iscariot; (3) Jesus praying “Rise up. Defend me. Save me from the traps they lay for me;” (4) the remembrance scenes of life with Jesus such as falling as a child, building a high table, etc.; (5) kids hassling Judas after the betrayal; (6) the member of the Sanhedrin stating at the trial that Jesus taught not to pay tribute to the Roman consul; (7) the beating along the road to Calvary (although that may have well been the practice); (8) Mary saying to Jesus, “My Son let me die with you;” (9) women wiping up the blood at the place of the scourging.

On the otherhand, there were some scenes that portrayed what I think are very important aspects of the passion. They included: (1) Jesus prophecy of Peter’s three-time denial of Him and the denials were shown in the story (Matthew 26:69-75). (2)The scene portraying Matthew 26:63 -64 where the high priest asked Jesus: “Are you the Christ, the Son of God?” and Jesus responds: “You have said it yourself: nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” is an important scene and flows with Scripture. Jesus unequivocally declared His identity at this moment; and, this is what got Him crucified. (3) Pilate’s hesitation to condemn Jesus as well as his wife’s warning (John 18-19; Matthew 27:19). (4) The robber on the cross mocking Jesus and the other, displaying His belief and trust in Jesus resulting in Jesus’ response to the man that he would join him in paradise that day. (5) Pilate telling Jesus that he had authority to release Him or crucify Him and Jesus responding that Pilate only has power that has been given to Him from above (John 19:10-11). (6) The empty tomb at the end

The movie displayed the message of the gospel well, although there were things in the telling that were embellished or left out. However, when moving from a literary genre to a Hollywood production, one would expect to find some embellishment, additions, and deletions of Scripture, and some error in the timing for certain oral depictions; and, all of that was found in the movie. Nonetheless, the movie displayed some key elements that witness the heart of God’s plan for the salvation of those who will believe on Christ. Therefore, I would definitely recommend it to anyone whether believer or nonbeliever. In fact, I have.

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Current Events and Writing by Tara Randel

Posted on September 12, 2013 by tararandel

In light of 911 and the history behind that date, I was thinking about world events and how they impact writers as we plot a story. With all the many different events taking place in the world today, and our ability to get news 24/7, on many different types of devices, getting information about current events for our stories is just a keystroke away.

Certainly what is going on in the world tends to work well in suspense and thrillers. Any books that feature characters in the military or police agencies may mirror what we read in the newspaper. Yet when the author adds actual world events, it makes the story immediate. We can imagine ourselves in the line of fire on a sandy desert somewhere or in a foreign city running for our lives because of certain secret information in our possession. I’ve never been in any kind of dangerous occupation, but I love edge of the seat stories that keep me turning the page to find out how the characters will get through danger and stay alive.

I tend to write stories about characters who live in small towns. How do current events fit in? There is always the possibility of a world weary traveler returning home after working in a refugee camp and now wants to experience peace. A wounded soldier back from deployment. How does he cope with what he’s seen and done? Or perhaps the photojournalist trying to deal with upsetting memories because of a dangerous assignment. A character who has had enough crime in the big city and wants to retreat to simpler life in a small town.

What about the news of a smaller scope? Local or regional news. Not big enough to make front page news, but compelling enough to make a writer wonder, what if, and run with an idea from there. Again, with our access to the internet, there are all kinds of news and special interest stories out there to catch the eye of a writer for use in a future story.

Now, let’s take the current events and look at them through the Christian world view. This gives us another layer of depth for our characters. They have to deal with the world, but what about their spiritual walk? How have these events shaped them? Will the events they’ve experienced determine the decisions they make? Here is our conflict.
The possibilities of adding the pressure of what goes on in our small towns, big cities and worldwide are endless in story creation. Adding current events is the bridge of our imaginary characters to real life. Done well, these events add another dimension to the world the author has created.

So, after having laid my thoughts out, my question is, as a reader, do you like current events in the books you read? Too much invasion of the real world? I’m curious as to what you think.

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Looking Back and Moving Forward After 9/11 by Julie Arduini

Posted on September 11, 2013 by juliearduini

Sometimes the tragedy of 9/11 seems like yesterday.

Then I remember when I first heard of the attacks, I was a work-from-home mom of a three year old who that morning slept in later than usual.

That preschooler is now fifteen.

With 12 years behind us, I watched a series of documentaries on the events, and they weren’t easy to watch. After this much time, it’s easy and tempting to gloss over. But I felt I owed the thousands that lost their lives my time and perspective, and I’m not the same person I was back then. Our country isn’t the same.

Looking back, I thought about what life was like for me at the time, and on that day.

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  • Although I now live in Ohio and am the same distance to NYC that I was when I lived in Upstate NY, there is a fraternity of sorts, a bond, for anyone who lived in New York in 2001. Upstaters are famous for distinguishing how we are not from nor live close to The Big Apple. On and the days and weeks after 9/11, we were all New Yorker’s. When the second plane hit, we didn’t know how close planes might be to us. Would they attack other portions of the state? I lived in a city known for being the world headquarters for a corporation. Would we be a target? We New Yorkers grieved and shared questions that people in other states probably didn’t experience to such a degree. In an odd twist of fate, living in Upstate NY I saw nothing of the attacks on a personal level. A friend of ours in NE Ohio recalls seeing what he now knows as United Flight 93 flying dangerously low. It crashed minutes later in Shanksville, PA.
  • The financial impact of the attacks hit us personally. It took about a year and a half, but the impact was devastating on the entire state. By 2003 the corporate city that was my hometown lost 20% of its workforce. The cost of a slice of pizza at the local pizzeria was more than worth of stock for Corning Inc. It was awful. My husband’s job changed so drastically that he had to look for other work, and that’s what brought us to Ohio. My position lost funding, and we decided to have me stay home and raise our preschooler and baby.
  • I was working from home that day and missed the initial coverage. I had no comprehension of how horrific everything was. Perhaps God protected my mind from going there. I was in my own tailspin from a miscarriage earlier in the year, and I couldn’t wrap my mind around how people were trying to survive. How long after the attacks the heroes battling blazes or helping with clean up were fighting respiratory issues, or more.
  • To this day I grieve how fast we returned to normal. My mom even warned me while we watched the news reports and speeches. The unity won’t last, she told me. I couldn’t believe her. Yet, in weeks. Weeks! I felt everything go back. People seemed complacent. Eternity and compassion fell to the wayside. And I don’t think we’ve rediscovered those things in measure to how much we need them in our lives.
  • Like the attack on Pearl Harbor, we went as a nation from relative peace to all out war in no time at all. It was nothing for us to trust everyone over everything. People my age remember you could idle at the front of the airport and no one noticed. Try that now and watch what happens. I can remember the silence in the skies when the flights were grounded. When I see an odd license plate somewhere with someone looking suspicious, I take notice. Don’t you?
  • One of the documentaries explained that prior to 9/11, many organizations were not connected and communication between them wasn’t just limited, it was non existent. Today the FAA and the military are on the same page. News can be viral in minutes from many sources. God forbid we ever experience anything like this again, but I’ll never forget the haunted look on loved ones looking for lost family and friends. They were using posters. Phone calls. There wasn’t Facebook, Twitter, none of that. Times have definitely changed.

With an older perspective I think it’s important to look back. To honor those who aren’t here and died for our country. To learn. To appreciate. To pray. I feel our country is more fragmented than ever. I refuse to live in fear, though. For everything about 9/11, I lift up truth.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16b, NIV

 

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Keeping Faith by Hannah Alexander

Posted on September 10, 2013 by alexanderhodde

 

 

 

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It’s been a long time between novels  for me this last go-round, but I’ve found my writing chops again-or perhaps gums might be the better term. I love writing historical novels because it’s fun to imagine myself in that time and place, but my typical fare is contemporary women’s fiction with romance, some suspense, and some medical situation–or at least a character who works in the medical field. Mel helps me with his experience as an ER doc and family practice physician. He’s been challenged to find the best historical treatments for the time periods I choose.

I would like to introduce you to my third historical romance, Keeping Faith, which was released this month. Keeping Faith is about an independent, brave widow, Dr. Victoria Fenway, who, in an attempt to catch her late husband’s killer and protect other victims from the monster, has joined a wagon train traveling west toward Kansas Territory, Her only distraction is the wagon train captain, Joseph Rickard, whom she once loved with all her heart, but her heart was broken when she thought he abandoned her. She married an older physician and learned his skills. And now she must keep her plans to herself so Joseph won’t be able to prevent her from risking her life to save others.

Despite the misunderstanding that kept Victoria and Joseph apart, Joseph never stopped loving Victoria, and he has taken his vow seriously to protect her on this dangerous journey. He’d once decided that if he couldn’t have her love, he would never marry, and now he has an opportunity to prove his love for her, and to keep her safe, even if he has to risk his own life to do it.

Victoria, however, has other plans. She can’t allow Joseph, who is in charge of the safety of many people, turn his back on his responsibility. Can she make it to Jolly Mill, Missouri, in time to save her friends and a group of freed Africans from the murderous fury of a conscienceless slaver? Can Joseph reach her in time to save her from her own passionate determination? Life, love, and tragedy hang in the balance as Joseph and Victoria depend on God’s strength to help them battle evil.

You may find Keeping Faith at any bookstore, both brick-and-mortar or online. Read the first chapter of this novel at http://www.hannahalexander.com

 

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Word Treasures by Kathi Macias

Posted on September 9, 2013 by alandkathi66

I recently had the most enjoyable experience of going to see an old friend—“old,” as in older than I am, and those friends are becoming few and far between these days.

This friend’s name is Linda, and to be truthful, she really isn’t old. If anything, she’s one of those ageless people whose bodies might get saggy and wrinkled but whose mind and wit stay sharp to the end. I actually find myself feeling quite outdated and frumpy in her presence, though her ever-gracious spirit welcomes me wholeheartedly.

This was an especially nice visit, as Linda and I don’t live near one another and seldom get to spend time together. It was especially nice, therefore, when she discovered I was traveling through her neighborhood that she invited me to spend a night in her warm and spacious home. And what an enjoyable stay it was! Linda has the gift of hospitality, as does her husband who cooked us a marvelous dinner. Of course we spent hours afterward, talking and laughing about old times, but even that wasn’t the highlight of my visit. That came just before heading off to the charming guestroom where I slept like the proverbial baby.

Between our after-dinner chat and toddling off to bed, Linda took me into her library to view her treasures—books, of all sizes, shapes, bindings, and genres, particularly the shelves of ancient tomes with author names like Melville and Shakespeare and Frost and Michener. Oh, how she loved those books, and how she beamed as she showed them to me, one by one. We commented on each author and title, and closed our evening with the sad realization that many young people today have never read such books, or if they have, it was done out of compulsion rather than awestruck wonder.

“Treasures,” Linda mused. “How I long for young people to savor the treasures found in these books.” Then she held up her most beloved treasure in all her library—an old family Bible, passed down to her by her parents and her grandparents before them. “Especially this one,” she said, smiling. “So neglected by so many, and yet so full of timeless wisdom and life-changing words.”

I drifted off to sleep that night thinking of Linda’s comments about her treasures, praying that people everywhere would begin to hunger for the written word again, enough to break away from other pursuits and learn about the treasure found in books, particularly the Bible. For myself, personally, it was a poignant reminder of my own need to spend less time being “busy” and more time digesting “timeless wisdom and life-changing words.”

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What’s My Line?

Posted on September 9, 2013 by lynettesowell

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My husband and I play a game sometimes when we’re watching a movie we’ve never seen before. I was the one to start initiating this little game.

At first, he told me, “Stop it, Honey. That’s not funny. Hush.”

But then, somewhere along way, he started to play along.

This game usually takes place during a pause in dialogue, at a poignant point of the movie.

I do my best to guess the line that comes next. When I’m right, I get to gloat.

As I said, at first my husband objected, pooh-poohing my skill to guess the next line.

Then, something interesting happened. He started to play along. Here’s what happens.

 The music swells, the two characters pause at the edge of peril, whatever that may be.

The hero looks at his heroine and says, “I’ll go one from here. Alone. Without you.”

She clutches his hand.

(Wait for it: This is when I guess the line I think she’ll say next: “No, you’ll always have me.”)

She blinks and says, “No. Never alone. You’ll always have me.”

Score! Close enough. Not verbatim, but close enough. And then, my husband and I high-five.

He smiles and looks at me. “Ah, the fun of watching a movie with a writer.”

Predictability can be a good thing. Sometimes it’s fun to know what comes next in a book, especially if a character doesn’t. If we know, it can up the tension, especially if the character is walking straight into danger and they don’t know it.

Predictability can be a bad thing. If we already know too much about what happens next, we can yawn, start thinking about supper, or put the book down.

What do you think? What’s good and bad about a story or a scene being predictable?

– – – – –

Lynette Sowell writes fiction for the inspirational market, from contemporary romance to mysteries. She’s always looking for the perfect recipe for a story–or a great dish–and is always up for a Texas road trip.

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Christians Read Fall Catalogue Released

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Vicki Hinze

(Click below to view the Christians Read Catalogue, 2013 Fall Edition, which includes Chapter Excerpts!

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Discovering Books

Posted on September 5, 2013 by bethrachg

IMG_0033In a world of millions of authors and even more books, discoverability has never been easy. While the shift into the digital age has created new avenues of promotion, anyone can get published and everyone is promoting—more than ever.  But I’m speaking from an author’s perspective.   

What about the reader? How do you find a book you want to read? Do you stand in the brick-and-mortar store and browse the titles and covers and then read sample chapters? Look at the books on discount tables? Or do you read sample chapters online? For that matter, how do you even come across a book that entices you to read the first few pages?

If you’re like me, you have your favorite authors for starters. You naturally look for their next book. Covers used to entice me, and sometimes they still do, but when I browse the Christian fiction section of the bookstore, the covers are all gorgeous and look very similar. That means nothing stands out. Not a good thing. Although titles can intrigue me too, I’m no longer enticed to find out more by title alone.

No matter the transition into this digital age, word-of-mouth is still at the top of the list of influencing factors. If a writing friend shares about a book she or he liked and tells me why, then I’ll read a sample chapter. Never do I buy a book without doing that.

I admit, too, that social media has influenced my book purchasing decisions.

What about you—in this shifting environment, how do you choose your books? No, really, I want to know.

Blessings!

Beth

Elizabeth Goddard is the award-winning author of Riptide, Love in the Air, and Wilderness Peril.

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Times change but do people?

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Maureen Lang

The other day I was struck by all of the changes I’ve lived through. When I first started writing professionally, I typed my manuscripts with a carbon paper copy underneath the top page. In an effort to send the cleanest possible manuscript to various agents and editors I queried, I would retype entire pages if there were significant changes. For little changes or boo-boos I’d use white-out, a little bottle of liquid I’d use to camouflage mistakes, allowing me to type the correction right on top. For a little longer changes, but not enough to warrant retyping an entire page, there were white adhesive strips available to cover lines, which could then be typed over. I didn’t like using that, however, unless I had the opportunity to Xerox copy the page so the white tape beneath the corrections wouldn’t show. I remember my first electric typewriter, a Selectric, and how amazed I was to be able to change fonts by changing the little round-shaped typing element that pressed the ink onto the pages.liquid-paper

I’d bundle my labor-intensive manuscript inside a padded envelope, or for full manuscripts inside the appropriately sized box—the kind that used to hold reams of paper sold individually—and trot off to the Post Office, where I would send the manuscript and hope it reached its destination within the week.

Then I’d wait. If someone had told me the instantaneous digital world was just ahead, I’d have laughed and thought them silly for dreaming up something from a fictitious or far-distant future.

I also used to look forward to the mail man for cards and letters. Oh, yes, the mailman often brought little pleasures to my day. Nowadays I barely notice the mail truck, since all he seems to bring is junk mail. Poor man, many times he doesn’t even bring my Amazon orders. They’re often delivered via UPS or other special delivery.

I used to think my grandmother’s generation saw the most change. That may still be true. After all, she went from riding in a horse and buggy to eventually riding in my dad’s Cadillac. She saw the development of commercial air planes, the use of refrigeration (without an ice block, that is), air conditioning, a telephone in every house, television, cinema, and man landing on the moon to name a few.

The changes in my own lifetime, while impressive and varied, don’t seem quite the leap in comparison. We went from huge computers to handheld devices, from telephones hooked to a wall to those we can take anywhere. Our cars are faster and more sleek, trains can run like bullets, and rockets can now deliver land rovers to Mars—but the space age is no longer new. I’ve seen vast improvements from the first version of each invention, but nonetheless a lot of what we enjoy today seems to be innovation of something originally dreamed up and first implemented long ago.

One thing that continues to amaze me, though, is that no matter how the inventions around us change, or the trends in culture and society evolve, inside people are pretty much the same as they were 100 years ago. I’m convinced that’s why I enjoy both reading and writing historical romances. I may not know what it really smelled or sounded like living in New York or Chicago in the 1800s, but I do know the basic desires, personal and professional strengths and doubts, the search for faith and happiness were likely very similar to those we experience today.

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Sanga Na Langa! by James L. Rubart

Posted on September 3, 2013 by James L. Rubart

Sanga Na Langa means, No Worries, in the Fijian language.

Yes, I was in Fiji with my family for the past ten days. My friend and fellow author, Beth Carson hosted my wife and two sons at her resort home, Starfish Blue and it was paradise.

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While I was there I read three books and it made me realize something. I love to read. Yeah, I know, that’s one of the main reasons this blog exists; to celebrate reading and the worlds books can whisk us off to. But for the most part, reading for me these past three years has been limited to reading other author’s manuscripts for possible endorsement. I’ve read very few books of my own choice for pleasure. 

On this vacation I read for enjoyment again.

I realized that I’d forgotten how much reading feeds my heart, and guards my heart, gives it life. (“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23)

During our time in Fiji, I thought very little about e-mail, or Facebook, and worked for only a few hours during the entire ten days. There was certainly work I needed to do. But I let it go and told myself, “No worries, Sanga Na Langa!”

So what are you doing to guard your heart? Or better said in this context, feed your heart? What do you need to say, Sanga Na Langa to?

(You don’t have to go to Fiji to do it–but yeah, it certainly would be nice.)

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Happy Labor Day! (Um, What exactly is Labor Day?) by Vicki Hinze

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Vicki Hinze
Credit: blingcheese.com

Credit: blingcheese.com

Today in America, we celebrate Labor Day.  Many consider it nothing more than a day off.  Those employed in retail, work today and use the holiday as an opportunity to advertise sales.  Few know or recall the origins of Labor Day.  Like so much else in America’s rich history, time and a lack of attention is dimming our knowledge of our heritage.  That bothers me and, if you’re American, it should bother you.  So let’s get reacquainted with ourselves and our holiday.

 

Over a hundred years ago, the first Labor Day was observed with a holiday for workers.  There’s some dispute on who first proposed it.  Some say it was a secretary for the American Federation of Labor, a man named Peter McGuire.  Others say the proposal came from a New Jersey machinist from New York.  The Central Labor Union did pass a proposal to hold a demonstration and a picnic in New York.

 

The government got involved in 1885 through municipal ordinances, but in short order—June 28, 1894, Congress declared the first Monday in September a legal holiday in DC and “the territories.”

 

Credit: Dismal World 1900 NY Labor Day Parade

Credit: Dismal World
1900 NY Labor Day Parade

 

Who first celebrated Labor Day?  The Central Labor Union in New York City on September 5, 1882.  There was a parade honoring the workers for their contributions to the strength and prosperity of the nation and a festival with speeches by prominent civic leaders.  The Sunday before Labor Day was, according to the Department of Labor, “adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.”

 

Today there are fewer parades, fewer festivals, and fewer civic-sponsored gatherings.  Americans seem to be losing their fierce defense of national identity and embracing more small gatherings with family and friends for picnics, ball games, and private celebrations.

 

What I hope will continue in any gathering or no gathering at all is a deep appreciation of the American Worker.  That celebration and his or her contributions to our nation’s well being, prosperity and growth, is what Labor Day is all about.

 

 

Credit: Dismal World 1900 NY Labor Day Parade

Credit: Dismal World
1900 NY Labor Day Parade

Labor Sunday has been obscured for many years—but it need not remain so.  The believers among us are well aware of the deep dies between faith and country, our freedoms are endowed by our Creator, and that includes our freedom to work.  We are also endowed with the ability to work, and that warrants remembrance of Labor Sunday.

 

At a time when forty-six percent of our work force is out of work, and staggering numbers of our work force are under-employed, let us remember to pray for our workers—for both their freedom and their ability to work.

 

Labor Day isn’t just about picnics and festivals and parades or ball games at family gatherings.  It’s a day to count our blessings for all those who toil and work hard every day and enrich the quality of life for all of us because they do.

 

Enjoy the sales at the local mall.  Enjoy the celebration.  But most of all remember that each day you enjoy the fruits of the American Worker’s labor.  Every time you flip a switch to turn on a light, remember the electrician who wired it.  The manufacturer who made the light, the bulb.  We are blessed with a lifestyle not enjoyed by many in the world.  And because we are, we tend to take it for granted.

 

Credit: Minnpost.com 1940 International Falls Labor Day Parade

Credit: Minnpost.com
1940 International Falls Labor Day Parade

 

We forget that no one owes us anything.  No one is obligated to provide us with anything other than the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  We forget that the people who work hard every day are the heart of America, and historically, they have been.

 

I hope you had a lovely Labor Sunday and that you enjoy a very blessed and…

 

Happy Labor Day!

 

 

 

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