“If he does really think that there is no distinction between virtue and vice, why, sir, when he leaves our houses let us count our spoons.” — Samuel Johnson * * * Every election cycle the topic of “faith” comes up. What do the candidates believe? The underlying assumption is that faith matters to one’s [...]

Isn’t that how it goes at those recovery meetings? My name is ________, and I’m an alcoholic. Not that writing Christian fiction is equivalent to an addiction, but to me, it feels like a confession. I’ve covered the reasons why I’m hesitant to embrace the “Christian fiction” label and know that there’s lots of others [...]

Many writers suffer from a condition I call Shizo-blog. Here’s some of the symptoms: You feel guilty for blogging because you should be writing your novel You feel guilty for writing because you haven’t updated your blog in two weeks You feel guilty prioritizing one over the other because with some creative management or self-discipline, [...]

In the intro to The Shining, Stephen King said this: I think that in every writer’s career — usually early in it — there comes a “crossroads novel,” where the writer is presented with a choice: either do what you have done before, or try to reach a little higher. What you realize only in [...]

I confess, it tickles me when authors yack about “mean reviews.” Especially if those reviews are really nothing more than honest opinions about the book. So a reviewer thinks your characters are one-dimensional and the plot is predictable. Welcome to the marketplace. We Christian authors have been so conditioned to expect five-star reviews that anything [...]

Everyone can’t be like Shane Claiborne. Thank God! Yes. I’m familiar with all the biblical warnings about wealth. It’s the root of all kinds of evil and keeps rich men from heaven. But what’s with our new infatuation with poverty? Perhaps it’s just me, but evangelicals seem to have replaced a preoccupation with modernism for [...]

There is considerable debate among book enthusiasts about e-publishing. Is it good or bad for the book industry? Does it ultimately help or hurt authors? Does it raise or lower the bar of expectations? Or are ebooks the most important publishing development since the printing press? Admittedly, several years ago I would have been on [...]

My first e-book is now available. It’s been a lot of fun to write, a great learning experience, and a wonderful chance to collaborate with others (I’ll talk about that more in my next post). Winterland is currently available at Amazon.com for Kindle downloads, as well as through Smashwords. Apparently, there’s a bit of a [...]

Cynicism is good. Being a cynic is not. At least, that’s the distinction I’ve made. Is it idealistic? Probably. One can cultivate pessimism only so long before becoming a professional misfit. Nevertheless, in a world full of blind men, it’s hard not to feel like a social reject. Especially when I can see what’s coming. [...]