I am not an impulsive buyer, and when it comes to book buying, I am very not impulsive. Rarely will I walk into a bookstore and emerge with a book I hadn’t heard of or planned to purchase. And when I do, certain planets must be aligned. But unless you’re familiar with an author or [...]
After catching buzz about the new INSPY Awards and being intrigued by its premise, I contacted its founder Amy Riley of My Friend Amy, to ask some questions. Amy is a prolific blogger with reams of cyber-cred. And as it turns out, she is extremely gracious to strangers who request interviews and ask annoying questions. [...]
I’ve had a lot of fun putting together the concept for a book trailer for my upcoming novel, “The Resurrection.” Totally jazzed about working with Brian Barnhart. In fact, I posted a pic of Brian’s storyboard at Twit Pic if you care to take a peek. We did our filming for the project yesterday and [...]
A new Christian Award has been announced — The INSPY Awards — and I must say, I love the logo, the idea behind it, and the blogger who’s launched the campaign. The INSPYs are the brainchild of Amy Riley, of My Friend Amy, creator of the popular Book Blogger Appreciation Week. (In fact, I’ll be [...]
Okay, so I was part of the dumb horde that spent a half-hour watching ESPN genuflect before, er, interview, Prince James. This was a bigger media event than the season finale of Lost, although James’ decision to sign with the Miami Heat made a lot more sense. Speaking of Lost, here’s my choice for the [...]
When it comes to Christianity, believing in miracles is par for the course. I mean, if God can form the world out of nothing, then I reckon He can do just about anything. And in the Bible, He does. In fact, some of the most important biblical events are founded upon miracles: the Creation, the [...]
One multi-published romance writer said this during an interview on a popular writing site. She was asked about “pet peeves” concerning the industry: With so many writing rules that new authors have to follow, it’s hard for me to read writers who don’t follow the rules. I can’t hardly read one writer who was one [...]
Global hunger. Human trafficking. Poverty. AIDS. Child labor. Thanks to the passion and persistence of advocates of social justice, many of these issues are finally registering with mainstream American Christians. We are being challenged like never before to leave our religious cocoons and embrace our communities, to volunteer at soup kitchens, reach out to the [...]
“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.” Proverbs 27:2 I’m not sure how most Christian authors reconcile this verse with the demands of marketing. It used to be that the publisher would trumpet their author’s praise. But now, if a writer plans to sell books they’ve [...]
Pessimism is one of the most important instruments in a writer’s tool box. It can also be one of the most destructive. Several years back I entered the ACFW Genesis Contest, but didn’t make the cut. I had already convinced myself I wouldn’t so when I didn’t, I wasn’t disappointed. Once again, pessimism saved me. [...]
