News Post 567

Bryan Thomas Schmidt is posting excerpts from his upcoming space opera, The Worker Prince - said to recreate a Star Wars type feel. Here are the first two:
http://bryanthomasschmidt.blogspot.com/2010/09/this-is-first-chapter-of-my-forthcoming.html
http://bryanthomasschmidt.blogspot.com/2010/12/novel-excerpt-worker-prince.html

Millard Jones is giving away a copy of Eternity's Edge by Bryan Davis. Go here to enter:
http://onehundredelectricians.blogspot.com/2010/12/giveaway_07.html

New short stories online:
Spaced Out by R.L. Copple
http://skaggsworld.com/fwg/2010/12/04/spaced-out/
El Nino: A Christmas Mystery with Carolyn Masters, by Terri Main
http://bit.ly/fPWx4Q
The Fairy Princess and the Troll, by Brandon Barr
http://bit.ly/emFdY6

From the Blogosphere:
At Speculative Faith: E. Stephen Burnett shares Lacy's story of how Lord of the Rings opened her spiritual eyes:
http://bit.ly/fBOAq2

P.A. Baines is interviewed by Lena Nelson Dooley, with a chance to win his book:
http://bit.ly/i2PIEm

Kat Heckenbach started a blog series on art she's doing for speculative fiction:
http://bit.ly/geMI35

News for September 26th 2010

An interview with Donita K. Paul, in which she talks about her new books:
http://www.christian-fiction-book-reviews.com/

At Speculative Faith, E. Stephen Burnett talks about real magic and fantasy:
http://www.speculativefaith.com/2010/09/magic-fantasy-a-christian-worldview/

And a follow-up from Rebecca LuElla Miller:
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/standing-up-for-magic/

Scott Roche and Zach Ricks, two of the founders of Flying Island Press, have a podcast interview at 
http://deadrobotssociety.com/2010/09/23/episode-145-piloting-the-flagship-of-flying-island-press/
(starts at 09:40)

Got an ereader? Two LGG member books are now available in multiple formats:
The Muse by Fred Warren
Alpha Redemption by P.A. Baines

News for August 30th, 2010

Tosca Lee's "Demon: A Memoir" is now free to download from Lifeway:
http://www.lifewaystores.com/lwstore/tosca_lee.asp

C.L. Dyck gives a very personal reaction to Marc Schooley's "The Dark Man":
http://scitascienda.com/2010/08/30/the-day-marc-schooley-died/

Caprice Hokstad is interviewed at Janalyn Voigt's Book Readers Central, and you have a chance to win a copy of "The Duke's Handmaid":
http://bookreaderscentral.blogspot.com/2010/08/meet-and-greet-monday-caprice-hokstad.html

And on a slight tangent, Mike Duran has a nice rant about so-called "edgy" fiction:
http://mikeduran.com/?p=8680

News for August 16th 2010

Greg Mitchell gives us his latest news on his upcoming release The Coming Evil, plus an excerpt from his story due to be published in Coach's Midnight Diner Volume 3:
http://thecomingevil.blogspot.com/2010/08/exclusive-excerpt-from-flesh-and-blood.html

Mike Duran gives us an indepth look at Christian Horror contrasted with Atheist Horror:
http://mikeduran.com/?p=9016

C.S. Lakin continues her musings on fantasy, this time on being a mystic:
http://www.gatesofheavenseries.com/blog/2010/08/14/the-wolf-of-tebron-on-being-a-mystic/
She's also been interviewed at Novel Journey:
http://noveljourney.blogspot.com/2010/08/novel-journey-interview-with-susanne.html

And the New Authors Fellowship announces their new member: Avily Jerome.
http://newauthors.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/our-newest-member/

News for August 2nd 2010

The new month brings a timely reminder: are you signed up for the Marcher Lord Press and Where The Map Ends newsletters? Click through those links to register.

Splashdown Books would also love too have you on board in its Support Crew at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/splashdown_support_crew/.

All these newsletters keep you up to date on new releases and also often give you the chance to win books or take advantage of special offers or even sneak previews.


Noah Arsenault has interviewed Kerry Nietz, here:
http://noahsreads.blogspot.com/2010/07/kerry-nietz-interview.html

Rick Copple has reviewed The Duke's Handmaid by Caprice Hokstad:
http://blog.rlcopple.com/?p=258

And C.S. Lakin writes about how she got started writing fairy tales:
http://www.gatesofheavenseries.com/blog/2010/08/01/the-wolf-of-tebron-conditional-joy/

News for July 21st 2010

Karina Fabian explains how she managed to write 8300 words on her novel...in one day!
http://fabianspace.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-novels-journey-fueling-full-speed.html
 
Chawna Schroeder interviews Jill Williamson:
http://chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/2010/07/nine-questions-for-jill-williamson.html


Two differing reviews of Nightmare by Robin Parrish at TitleTrakk, one from Eric Wilson and one from Jennifer Bogart.

And the finalists in the Speculative category of the Carol Awards (ACFW's Book of the Year):

Kirk Outerbridge - Eternity Falls (Marcher Lord Press)

Donita K. Paul - The Vanishing Sculptor (Waterbrook Press)

Steve Rzasa - The Word Reclaimed (Marcher Lord Press) - See Steve's reaction here

Stuart Vaughn Stockton – Starfire (Marcher Lord Press)        

Fred Warren - The Muse (Splashdown Books) - See Fred's reaction here

Jill Williamson - By Darkness Hid (Marcher Lord Press)

News for July 19th 2010

Keven Newsome says: The New Authors' Fellowship celebrates 6 months!  Drop by and take a look at the changes!  Let us know what you think and leave a message about what NAF has meant to you so far!  Please come celebrate with us!
newauthors.wordpress.com

July's Digital Dragon magazine is here! With cover art by Kat Heckenbach and stories by several Guild members inside, you won't want to miss this one. www.digitaldragonmagazine.net
  
Malcolm Cowen says:
Just had confirmation that Spirit Blade are going ahead with my script "Sleep of Death".
Locked and barred (on inside) chamber carved out of rock in a space colony.
Inside 2 bodies, in a heap, with hacked off limbs around.
Then a few hours later the bodies are stolen......
There's a link to the English version on my website, here
http://www.ebook.cowensw.co.uk/Scripts/Sleep-of-Death.php

Jon Acuff on the Stuff Christians Like blog has instigated a discussion on the merits of Harry Potter and Gandalf. Why is it that some people hate one and love the other?
http://stuffchristianslike.net/2010/07/hating-harry-potter-giving-gandalf-a-free-pass/

News for June 30th, 2010

You can read an excerpt of Sherry Thompson's Earthbow Vol. 1 at the Written Remains blog here:
http://writtenremains.blogspot.com/2010/06/earthbow-week-continues-with-exclusive.html and if you haven't seen her interview there from last week, it's well worth checking out too:
http://writtenremains.blogspot.com/2010/06/member-spotlight-interview-with-sherry.html

Rounding up last week's CSFF blog tour for Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos, let's take a look at a few of the reviews:
Rachel Starr Thomson Krysti Kercher  Fred Warren Rebecca LuElla Miller

July 15 marks the six month anniversary of The New Authors' Fellowship. To commemorate the occasion, we are launching a new site layout, and renewing our commitment to be a site to help and promote unpublished authors, especially those in Christian Spec Fic. The new site will feature custom graphics made specifically for NAF, and it will have a new easy to navigate menu system, that will feature great links and resources for unpublished authors.
http://newauthors.wordpress.com/ 

And just for fun, here's the R2D2 Translator: translate any word or phrase, and you can even download the audio file. http://www.r2d2translator.com/

News for February 16th, 2010

After a quiet weekend, it's time to jump back into the fray with all your favourite LGG happenings!

T.W. Ambrose, editor of the Digital Dragon Magazine, announces that his short story The Pilgrimage won first place in the Preditors & Editors poll for Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Short Story of 2009. Check out what he's got to say about that here.

An enterprising Englishwoman has made an independent spin-off movie as a companion to the legendary Lord of the Rings trilogy. LGG member Peter Grant explains the background at his blog, where you can also view the 70 minute movie in its entirety.

At the New Authors Fellowship, Keven Newsome comments on Paul Baines' unpublished novel Alpha, which deals with space travel and the ability of an artificial intelligence to discover God.

For writers: The Wordplay blog has an article about a fascinating approach to improving your writing by reviewing your own work. Check out this unusual idea right here.

And lastly today we have two new LGG member reviews for The Muse by Fred Warren: one by Kat Heckenbach, and one by Greg Mitchell. Thanks guys!

News for February 8th, 2009: Maurice Broaddus, Leaps of Faith, Terri Main

Maurice Broaddus has posted a blog for writers: On World Building

At the Lina Lamont Fan Club there is an article called Why McCoy Hates the Transporter, and it's related to Quantum Express, a story by Vincent Malzahn in Leaps of Faith, the sci-fi anthology edited by Karina and Rob Fabian.

Terri Main says she's just uploaded another audio installment of Dark Side of the Moon. This is chapter four. It's at http://www.wayfarersjournal.com/darkside4.mp3

News for January 4th, 2010

Here's a quick spotlight on a blog that will be new to some of you - OrthoCuban. He's a Cuban and an Orthodox priest. Recently some of his posts have fallen smack-bang in the middle of our area of interest:

The furry universe and vampire chick-lit - in which the LGG's Ken Pick and Infinite Space, Infinite God (eds. Karina and Rob Fabian) are discussed;

Christian vampire stories - in which the LGG's Sue Dent and her books Never Ceese and Forever Richard get the treatment;

and G.K. Chesterton on fairytales - for a rather more historical voice than our Guild can provide.


And this from Johne Cook - get Issue 55 of RayGun Revival here!

Here's what you'll find inside:

Santa's Spaceship by Clinton Lawrence
Fiction
As humans colonize space, Santa Claus faces a dilemma. How could he deliver presents on Christmas Eve to the children on distant worlds? Fortunately, the elves have a solution.

First Film by Alexander Field
Fiction
Longshot gubernatorial candidate Fargrave Goodman hopes his movie will win him the campaign, but when the footage is stolen, his entire political career hangs in the balance!

Doors Through the Places You Live by Michael Merriam
Fiction
When Gary Ampierre and Terrell Bingham enter a derelict warship on a salvage mission, the forces that destroyed the ship and its crew threaten them as well. Will the ghost ship claim two more victims?

The Grand Illusion: A Dean The Space Rogue Tale by Andy Heizeler
Fiction
Trapped in a hostile star system full of criminals, thieves, and con-men, Dean and the crew of the Tachyon Valkyrie may have finally met their match. Will they be able to out wit the bad and trick the worst?

RGR Reviews reviewed by Matthew Winslow and Donald Jacob Uitvlugt
The Mote in God's Eye, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
We the Underpeople, by Cordwainer Smith
The New Space Opera edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan

This Raygun For Hire: Forever Eden by John M. Whalen
Fiction
Frank Carson is a man who doesn't believe in thinking about the past. But an assignment that leads him to a place called Forever Eden and a meeting with an old flame bids him to remember his own Paradise Lost.

Featured artist , Juha Järvinen, Finland

Tales of the Breaking Dawn, The Ties That Bind, Part Four by Justin Macumber
Serial Fiction
The star-freighter Breaking Dawn defies a blockade to deliver a package. The price for failure: death.

Calamity's Child, Chapter Eight: Rites of Passage - King in the Corner, Part Two by M. Keaton
Serial Fiction
Red Dog continues to war alone against the fool humans while Kylee forces Ivan to face his heart.

Thieves' Honor: Episode Ten: The Rescuers, Part 1 by Keanan Brand
Serial Fiction
Captain Kristoff and the crew of the Martina Vega are trying to rescue Finney, not knowing she's already safe. And Governor Tarquin is waiting.

Deuces Wild, Season Two: Holding Pattern by L. S. King
Serial Fiction
Reggie might be gone, but his ship is rigged. Can Carter and Tristan disable the boobytraps before time runs out?

The Adventures of the Sky Pirate, Season Three, Chapter 28 — The Barracuda Strikes! by Johne Cook
Serial Fiction
The Barracuda explains the distinction between fishing and hunting, and Flynn comes to grips with a shocking revelation about his identity.T The good news is that the crew is finally off the hook. Literally.

As a measure of our largesse, the Overlords have decided to spare your puny planet for another day. Enjoy the New Year's holiday with our compliments!
Johne Cook / L. S. King / Paul Christian Glenn
The RGR Overlords

News for October 21st, 2009

There's a new source for short stories in the Lost Genre - it has been up and running for several weeks now. From the creative team around Jeff Gerke at Marcher Lord Press and Where The Map Ends, we now have Anomalous Fiction. I believe it is still in beta, but all you writers be sure and take a look at this new and different concept. My apologies for not bringing it to your attention sooner - I'm now in deepest darkest Bavaria!

There's an interview and giveaway with Steve Rsaza, author of the new book The Word Reclaimed, at Jenniffer Allee's blog. The giveaway will be drawn this Friday so don't delay!

And check out Greg Mitchell's thoughtful and in-depth look at the question "Christian Horror - is that even possible?" at his blog, The Coming Evil.

News for June 19th, 2009

Helena Lehman says:

Listen to my one-hour Live Interview with Bruce Collins on his Big Finale Internet Radio Show this Friday, June 19th at 7pm PST (8 pm MST, 9pm CST, 10pm EST). For information about the show, go to: http://pillar-of-enoch.com/media/Interview6-19-09.html

Donna Sundblad says:

Check out my guest post at Dayana Knight's blog http://dayanaknight.blogspot.com/2009/06/please-welcome-donna-sundblad-author-of.html. It's called "The Why Behind Setting" and gives insight into developing a secondary world in fiction writing.

Derek Gilbert says:

The audio book edition of The God Conspiracy is currently ranked #4 in the Podiobooks.com Top Ten.

Here's the link: http://www.podiobooks.com/title/the-god-conspiracy/

CSFF Tour for Cyndere's Midnight

This week the Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy Tour is featuring Cyndere's Midnight by Jeffrey Overstreet. Here are a few links to review posts:

Rebecca LuElla Miller - "...not just a fanciful adventure. There’s more going on under the surface."

Brandon Barr - "Having found beautiful writing before in Aurelia's Colors, I was looking forward to more of the same...and I was not disappointed. With just this one excerpt, I immediately recognize a gifted writer."

John Ottinger - "Jeffrey Overstreet is the only author I know of that can actually force me to slow down my reading and soak up each and every word he writes."

Steve Rice - "...the book can function as a modern chrestomathy for those wanting to improve their style."

Fred Warren - "Overstreet has created a world both familiar and alien, just a little askew from our own, and populated it with memorable characters."

Each of these posts also contains links to many other reviews and comments. Take a look...

Blogs & Reviews

Our thanks to the Writer to Reader blog, who gave us a nice mention in this post recently. Be sure and check out their other posts for lots of Christian fiction news.

Rebecca LuElla Miller wrote a thoughtful article around the question "How Dark is Too Dark?" regarding the portrayal of evil in Christian fiction.

Terri Main wrote about the writer's life and the influence of social networking on this hitherto solitary occupation. Click to read: Writing: A Lonely Life - NOT!!!!

Frank Creed posted a review of Forever Richard by Sue Dent over at A Frank Review: "Sue should be proud of having crafted a fun and entertaining read for all levels of readers that is still fully a horror novel." And staying with Sue Dent, Lena Nelson Dooley interviewed Sue about her new release, Forever Richard. In it she mentions the LGG:
http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/2009/01/author-sue-dent-forever-richard-free.html

And finally, the ShilohWriter blog posted a review of Amy Deardon's upcoming release A Lever Long Enough - "Benjamin Finan heads up a crew of Israeli scientists sent back in time to investigate the resurrection of Christ." Click here to read the full review.

Blogs and Breaking News

We at the LGG are very grateful for the highly successful CSFF blog tour of our Guild last week. For the stats on that, check out Cynthia's post. Shout outs to D.G.D. Davidson for igniting one of the longest blog comment threads ever seen in our realms! Great fun was had by all, as they say.

This week, the Christian Fiction Review Blog is touring Seabird by Sherry Thompson. Check out their page for links to participating bloggers and reviews.


Jeremy Robinson continues to post action-packed video blogs, be sure you haven't missed any.

And Terri Main posted her views on the recently inaugurated Lost Genre Guild discussion forum. Her post is a great introduction to this arena for Guild activity. Why not join in?

Breaking News: Forever Richard by Sue Dent hits stores on January 5th. Forever Richard, Sue Dent's much anticipated vampire & werewolf sequel to Never Ceese, is horror, and like Bram Stoker's 1897 Dracula, is written from a subtle Christian wordview. thewriterscafepress.com Autographed copies are available!

Quotable Quotes Continue...

As the CSFF blog tour goes on, we're seeing a continuing stream of LGG-related posting. Again, here are some snippets with links to more.

Karina Fabian in The Lost Genre Guild and What It Means for Readers: We want readers to know that exciting Christian sci-fi, fantasy and horror is out there, and we want to make it easy for you to find it.
Karina's also laid on a party called Meet the Members - in which you'll find pertinent information about some of the movers and shakers.

Nissa said: I find it exciting, as a Catholic convert who grew up Protestant, to find that the Lost Genre Guild is open to both Catholic and Protestant varieties of Christian faith.

About the booklist, Crista said: I found some “jewels” on the website that I am very anxious to read, and I look forward to future updates.

Phyllis Wheeler reviewed our blog archive from the days of the Guild's beginnings, and noted: Clearly there are plenty of people out there who love to use this set of tools to be creative and to convey some of God’s great truths.

Terri Main wrote about how joining the Guild has impacted on her writing life: I'm going to get personal, because the Lost Genre Guild literally changed my life and restored something I thought I had put away forever.

The Hobbiton Hill bloggers said: They've done a nice job enlarging the boundaries for Christian speculative fiction to include topics I hadn't thought of. How about space opera? Or cyberpunk? Their list of featured books include some recent offerings that are excellent...

D.G.D. Davidson wrote a post with the intriguing title: I woke up one morning and discovered that my genre was gone.

Cherryblossom said: These people have decided to rescue the lost genre and bring it to where it is accessible for people to read as easily as romance or historical.

Timothy Hicks talks about some Guild books he's got his hands on: Here at last I found other people who enjoyed a good fantasy, science fiction, or horror story. And they were Christian authors. I was hooked.

Andrea Graham has apparently had a GMTA moment and posted a round-up of other bloggers' posts, plus a silly picture of Frank.

Steve Rice never disappoints - this time it's a post covering recycled cardboard boxes, the horrifying underbelly of the Guild, a Mysterious Figure, a cat (what, just one?), and the Chicken Booksellers' Association.

Becky Miller makes an introduction to the Guild and goes into some detail on the question of genre definitions.

Rick Copple, who wasn't on this tour, has also arrived and says about the LGG: In the short time I’ve been on board with them, I feel that I’ve not only gained support for my writing and marketing, but a whole new set of friends that understand where I’m at, because most of them are there too!

That sums it up pretty well, Rick.
And somehow I don't think it's over yet!
Party on, dudes...
Yes, that's a quote from a sci-fi movie - who can tell me which one?

Blogger Buzz on the Lost Genre Guild

Here's some of the things people are saying about the Lost Genre Guild on the CSFF Blog Tour this week...

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the people who are involved in the Guild...Many of them have enjoyed a small measure of success in the world of publishing, having found publishers for their books, articles, and short stories. Others are newer to this crazy writing world we have immersed ourselves, and are in the process of finding their literary voice. That is why I see the purpose and value of the Guild...All in all, I cannot think of a reason why any writer would not be involved with the Lost Genre Guild.
~ Mike Lynch at http://mikelynchbooks.blogspot.com/2008/12/lost-genre-guild-review.html

Christians who are science fiction, fantasy, and horror fans don't often look on the shelves of their favorite Christian bookstores for the latest and best and the science fiction/fantasy section isn't usually bursting with identifiably Christian offerings either. Frank's site is another attempt to bridge that gap. He has some cool-looking and, in most cases, little known books in his editorial review section, Like many of the people you will meet during our tour, Frank Creed and the authors he represents are doing this as a labor of love.
~ Timothy Wise at http://emporiausa.net/Cafe%20Main%20Page.html

The Lost Genre Guild has taken the lead in addressing the vacuum of Christian speculative fiction on the shelves of Christian bookstores...The group was formed by founder Frank Creed to confront this issue by way of force. We are a large, strong group, and numbers grow daily.
~ Brandon Barr at http://www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com

...the Lost Genre Guild seeks to expand the allotted shelf space for this kind of fiction by exploring beyond the safe boundaries of what is currently called "Christian fiction"...
~ Keanan Brand at http://adventuresinfiction.blogspot.com

...the status quo hinders new writers. The Lost Genre Guild helps new writers get noticed and read, even though it isn't a publisher itself.
~ Steve Rice at http://ansric.blogspot.com

Timothy Hicks interviews Frank Creed at http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com

See also interviews with Terri Main, Grace Bridges and Karina Fabian at the Virtual Book Tour de Net.

And don't forget: Tonight at 7PM PST you can join the Lost Genre Chat at Second Life - here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/North%20Bound%20Marina/227/25/25. If you're not registered at SL already then come a bit early to do that, please!

Online Genre Events This Week

Today is the first day of the Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog Tour, and this month it's featuring...us! So all of these people are going to comment on Lost Genre activities, one of which is this blog. Check out the links below to see what they say. We'll be back tomorrow with a collection of quotes from those who post today.

Brandon Barr Justin Boyer Keanan Brand Kathy Brasby Grace Bridges Valerie Comer Courtney Frank Creed Amy Cruson CSFF Blog Tour Stacey Dale D. G. D. Davidson Janey DeMeo Jeff Draper April Erwin Karina Fabian Andrea Graham Todd Michael Greene Katie Hart Timothy Hicks Joleen Howell Jason Isbell Cris Jesse Jason Joyner Kait Carol Keen Mike Lynch Magma Margaret Rachel Marks Rebecca LuElla Miller Nissa John W. Otte Steve Rice Crista Richey Mirtika Hanna Sandvig James Somers Robert Treskillard Steve Trower Speculative Faith Jason Waguespac Phyllis Wheeler Timothy Wise

Also tomorrow: Terri Main is hosting the next Lost Genre Chat in Second Life. Here's what she says...

We are going to restart our meetings in Second Life. Tomorrow [Tuesday December 30th] at 7 p.m. Pacific time also SLT we will be meeting at my place. The SLURL is

http://slurl.com/secondlife/North%20Bound%20Marina/227/25/25

If you are an SL resident just click that or paste it in your browser and it will take you to a webpage that will open your SL software and drop you into my living room landing zone. I built a stage there to land on I hope it works.

If you are not an SL Member, you can join at http://www.secondlife.com . You do have to complete a "training course" on Orientation Island the first time you log in. So, if you are planning on joining add about a half hour to set up your avatar and complete the course.

We will be having a general discussion about Christian Speculative fiction. After the new year we will be having chats with authors and themed chats. Right now, we will be going on alternating weeks. But maybe we will be able to go to a weekly schedule if some others want to help out.

Views on the Lost Genre

There ARE New Christian Fantasy Authors Out There … by Phyllis Wheeler


Publishers slow to embrace Christian fantasy; writers take initiatives - by Juli Cragg Hilliard


Christian Fantasy Genre Builds Niche Without Hogwarts, Muggles or Spells - by Jacqueline Salmon

Christian Fantasy: What Is It? at ChristianFantasy.com

Christian Fantasy on the March by Rebecca Luella Miller