Herald the Day

Muted hues of dawn light filtered through the rectangular windows of the caravan. I sat up in bed to peer through the dusty glass. The interior of the bush garage that housed our camping abode was scarcely visible in the soft daybreak. I scanned the garage ceiling to check if our resident bat, Bruce Wayne, had survived the night. He swung off his steel rafter, no doubt feeling satisfied after feasting on the insect smorgasbord that swirled around our many solar lights every night.

The garage window made the perfect frame for the view of the bush and gully beyond our camp. I rubbed my eyes to focus on the pair of local kookaburras living on our hill. One bird fluffed its feathers as it perched on a gum tree branch, tilting its head from side to side in an effort to see around its long beak as it searched the ground for breakfast.

The second kookaburra lifted its head high and let out a great laughing cry. The first followed, and they chorused a laughing song. These birds amaze me. They know the exact moment a new day will break and the exact moment the day fades into evening. They herald both times with great gusto, megaphoning laughing echoes into the air. I imagined them singing, ‘Here comes the day, get out of bed, a new day is here.’ And then at dusk, ‘Night is coming. The day is gone. Sleep is here.’

The enthusiasm these birds show for each new day made me think about all the times I have literally dragged myself out of bed, complaining. Complaining about still being tired, about not getting enough sleep, and about how much I have to do. This morning, I fell back against my pillow, listening to my feathered neighbours heralding the new day, and tried to recall the last time dawn had delighted me so much I had broken out into song. I couldn’t recall a recent early morning spontaneous outburst of joy.

Nor could I remember an instance when I had rejoiced at having seen through a day. There were times I had sat at the end of a busy day, content in what I had achieved. But, unlike the kookaburras, I hadn’t rejoiced over the day, or paid such vocal homage to a cycle of sunlight.

I snuggled under the covers, and became transfixed by an exquisite Granny’s Cloak Moth fluttering from wall to wall, looking for a place to land. The brown eyes on its wings winked at me as it chose a comfortable resting place. I closed my eyes and listened to the wind as it roared up the gully. Tree tops rustled, then shook, as the driving gust moved through the bush. It sounded like a distant freight train getting closer and closer, until the unseen force was upon the camp causing the tin to rattle and the eucalyptus trees to drop dry twigs on the tin roof. The freight train of wind moved on, creating havoc in the foliage further up the hill, and then disappeared over the mountain top. I smiled as I thought about the way my entire world was heralding the day.

As put my feet on the floor, I hummed, ‘This is the day that the Lord has made.’ I thought about my place in the world, and how separated—or removed—I often feel. When I am home in my town house, I barely notice my natural environment. I knew nature was there. I saw and heard various animals on occasion, but it is hard to distinguish the kookaburra calls over the clatter of household appliances, the neighbour’s stereo, and the traffic on our busy road.

At home, I don’t awaken to nature’s heralding call, but to the scream of an alarm. There are no winking moths, no resident bats, and no local animals calling to say good morning. The soft early light doesn’t pat me awake. Instead, I often woke to the sun piercing through a slit in my blind. Nature is there—outside—but I’m not nearly as aware of it as I am at our camp. My town environment doesn’t seem to love me like my bush environment does.

All these morning events and contemplations drew me to a fabulous conclusion. I am a part of an astounding creation, and I don’t make the most of it. I thanked the Lord for our camp, far away from the sounds of humanity. Through its seclusion I had discovered what I was missing.

 I thought about this Bible verse from Luke 5:16:

‘But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.’ (New American Standard Bible)

I am certain that our Lord knew the value of the awesome creation we live in. Locked away in our houses, streets, towns and cities, it is easy to forget we are part of a much bigger picture. It is easy to overlook the bond we share with the natural world. Beyond us are innumerable creatures, plants and elements who all herald each day. I challenge you, dear reader, to slip away to your local wilderness sometime soon, and find your own way to herald the day.

First seen in Book Fun Magazine:

https://indd.adobe.com/view/ee394659-c0ea-4eef-b1e5-57568b840f4d

Rose was born in North Queensland, Australia. Her childhood experiences growing up in a small beach community would later provide inspiration for her Resolution series.

Two of the three Resolution novels have won Australian CALEB awards. She has also released The Greenfield Legacy, a collaborative novel highlighting the pain of Australia’s past policy of forced adoption, as well as standalone novel, Ehvah After. Her most recent release is the novella, A Christmas Resolution.

Her novels are inspired by the love of her coastal home and her desire to produce stories that point readers to Jesus. Rose holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, and resides in Mackay, North Queensland with her husband and son.

 Visit Rose at: https://rosedee.com/

Got Your Back

Author buddies, unite! Maybe that’s a bit melodramatic, but I can tell you now it’s great to not be doing the writing journey alone. Writing is often referred to as a solitary occupation, but over and again I’m reminded as a writer of the value of being in a writing community.  After some of the conversations with budding writers over this past weekend at Oz Comic-Con, I wonder if this is something we can sometimes take for granted. (For more about the Oz Comic-Con experience, drop on over to my blog.)

For those who are a little (or long!) way down the writing/publication road, can you remember being a newbie writer? That feeling of uncertainty, that sense of not knowing if you’d ever be published or if you were even good enough to be published. Ever. Add to that the steep learning curve of honing the craft. It can be a daunting mountain to climb. Once you’re published, there’s that rapid realisation (if you didn’t know beforehand) that the hardest work’s about to begin, with continuing the promotion and marketing you’ve been doing in the lead up to the release of your literary baby.

Let’s face it. Writing can be a tough gig, and unless you’re super famous, it’s not exactly the highest paying occupation … Now imagine doing that journey alone.

I love my writing group. You and I both know how much they feature in my blogs, and for good reason. They’re not only loyal and encouraging friends, but they’ve single-handedly (okay, multi-handedly) organised book launches, catered for workshops, offered financial counsel for events and got their hands dirty on many occasions to make writer gatherings a success. They’re also happy to act as critique partners and general champions of my writing, even when that book baby feels waaaay overdue. Yay for them! 😊

But the writing community reaches farther than that. Consider beta readers and editors, and let’s not kid ourselves. (Take it from someone who was a closet writer for over a decade.) If we’re not getting feedback on our work, firstly with critique partners, then with beta readers, our writing will never be challenged and it will never develop. Add to that the stroke (or 2000) of an editor’s pen, and you’re well on your way to improving your work. I don’t know any story that isn’t made better by a good edit by someone who isn’t being paid to stroke a writer’s ego. True, it can be painful, but it’s totally worth it in the long run.

What about publishers, or author services if you’re an Indie writer? Wow, that’s also a tough gig. How grateful I am to be guided by someone who knows about and takes care of ISBNs, distributors, bookstores etc. (Perhaps we should have ‘hug your publisher day’?) Hat off to those who do it themselves … although, if you’re in a community, you can also bounce ideas, problem solve etc. All the better when there's someone who can warn you about the pitfalls of vanity presses and such.

Where would we be without books stores and readers? There’s nothing quite like meeting new people in a bookstore or writing event generous enough to host you, and having the privilege of introducing potential readers to a story you’ve written. Even better is when those readers contact you or write a review to say how much they loved your work. (Oh, don’t forget reviewers!)

Long and short of it? Thank you for being part of my writing journey, and that of many other writers too. Whether we’re the equivalent of writing adolescents, grandparents, toddlers or newborns, we can each be a significant step in making someone else’s publication dream a reality. Pretty cool, right? Let’s never underestimate our part as writing community members. Now go forth and write!

Adele Jones is an award-winning Queensland author. She writes young adult and historical novels, poems, inspirational non-fiction and fictional short works, along with juggling family responsibilities and a ‘real job’ in the field of science. Her first YA novel Integrate was awarded the 2013 CALEB Prize for unpublished manuscript. Her writing explores issues of social justice, humanity, faith, natural beauty and meaning in life’s journey, and as a speaker she seeks to present a practical and encouraging message by drawing on these themes. For more visit www.adelejonesauthor.com or contact[@]adelejonesauthor.com

Writers: constructive feedback isn't going to kill you.

Writing is such a personal thing. We’re told to ‘bleed’ on to the page, in a popular writing meme. We’re told to write what we know, and put our hearts into it. We inhabit our words and search our souls for meaning.

And then we ask for feedback.

And we’re supposed to just sit there and take it.

I’ve been on both sides of this experience. I’ve left my writers’ critique group in tears more than once. “They don’t understand what I’m trying to do,” I’ve raged. “It is good. The character is loveable. Sure, she’s mean, and says stupid things, but that’s just her age.”

It can really hurt when not everybody loves and adores and raves about that piece you’ve poured your whole self into. It feels like you’re getting kicked to the ground, shamed, beaten and humiliated.

As an editor, and the one giving the feedback to lots of different writers, I have an entirely different perspective. I don’t see the writer. I only see the story, the phrasing and the words, the characters. I rarely, if ever, think about the person behind it who has lived and breathed their manuscript for months on end, unless I hear their voice instead of the character’s voice, or see their hand in an awkward plot twist, rather than following the natural course of events.

For me as the editor, the writing I’m working on is completely separate from the person who wrote it. And my aim is not to help the writer feel better about the piece of work they’ve sweated over and loved. I’m aiming to challenge them to improve even more. My task is to help them get that writing and that story as good and as perfect and as rounded and whole as it can possibly be. The best writers I’ve worked with are the ones who have listened, heard and come back with work that’s ten times better than what they started with.

(As an aside: I don’t think I’m a mean editor, but I’ve been told I should probably be a little kinder, or at least, perhaps drop in a compliment or two where something is really good. I’ve started writing ‘great’ or ‘awesome’ where something is really stand-out, but I don’t do it a lot. My time costs that writer money, and, frankly, compliments take time. I’d rather give full value to the writer and use their money to help them polish as much of their piece as they can.)

Over the last three years I’ve been learning the cello, as an adult beginner. I imagine it’s been for me much like writing is for many people. I love it. It feels personal to me, and I work hard at it. I want to eventually play in a community orchestra, and not embarrass myself. So I spend my week of practice trying to get a piece sounding just right, and then Tuesday morning comes around, and my teacher turns up.

He’s given me just two compliments in three years. Two! But in that time he’s gotten me through to working on fifth and sixth grade pieces, reading tenor clef, and working on my vibrato, all the while challenging everything I knew about music. He just laughs at me when I whinge at him (which is a little too frequent, I admit) and try to make things easier for myself by skipping practice steps.

“The thing about music is it’s a meritocracy,” he told me once. “If you do the work and take the feedback and use it, you’ll improve. You want to play with the big kids? You’ve got to work as hard as the big kids.”

A few times I have let his challenges get to me and felt depressed for a couple of days after the lesson. “I can’t play. I’m hopeless. He’s mean.” And then I’ve realised I’ve been silly. I want to play the cello: he’s teaching me how to do it (and he’s not mean, by the way – just honest) and it’s working. I’m improving. Yes, I could have taught myself by watching YouTube clips and sawing away, but I’d still be back in first position with lousy technique and a bad ear.

Writers, just like adult beginner cello players, need to carefully consider the feedback we get, and be able to separate our own sweet, sensitive selves away from our work – if not for our own sakes (hello, mental health, I’m talking to you!) then at least for the sake of our work. It won’t improve and we won’t grow as writers if we can’t be challenged by constructive feedback and take on an attitude of learning.

Cecily Paterson writes Middle Grade novels for girls, publishes Christian colouring books, and is working on an online 'Write Your Memoir' course to be launched in early 2018.

Through the Maze

By Mazzy Adams

As a child, I loved working my way through fun activity books, ones with colour-by-numbers or dot-to-dots. 

If I followed the instructions, a completed picture would emerge. Seeing my efforts come to fruition was such a thrill.

My all-time favourites were the MAZES! Helping Fido find his bone, or helping the lost bunny find his way home was more than fun; it was satisfying. I confess I rigorously planned the route in my head before my pencil touched the page, so I wouldn’t end up drawing messy detours.

Those fun activities reinforced important life lessons, like the wisdom of following directions, the blessing of assisting others, and the value of planning. All of these principles have helped me negotiate life with satisfaction and some success. They inform my efforts and habits as a writer, as, no doubt, they do yours.  

Writing, like many of life’s activities, can be fun, but it is not always child’s play. At times, connecting the dots is complicated and messy. Putting the ‘right’ colours in the ‘right’ places doesn’t always work out, especially when numbers are missing, or your green felt-pen runs dry halfway through the leaves. Fido bites your finger on the way to his bone. Or, like Alice in Wonderland, you chase the bunny and fall down a rabbit hole into a whole world of confusing encounters and unexpected challenges.

When it comes to life’s mazes, some walls are so high, planning the route is impossible. Dead ends leave you backtracking, or stuck in a corner, puzzled, stunned, confused and exhausted. Where’s the fun in that?

Over the last year, I’ve had plenty to hinder my writing progress. Just two weeks after I had major surgery, I broke my wrist and spent the following four or five months stuck in a corner, healing slowly. I struggled to link the simplest of thoughts together and the big picture eluded me completely. 

I found myself thinking thoughts like … I don’t have to write. No-one’s making me. I could just … stop.

Then again, where’s the fun in that?

Writing may not be child’s play, but it does bring joy and satisfaction. Writing creates images with words. It orders our thinking and colours our world. It helps us connect the dots when it comes to important issues of life, faith, purpose and destiny. Writing helps us make sense of the journey, keeps us on track and moves us forward. When we write right, we help our readers enjoy these things too.   

  

I’m grateful that my body is healing and ideas are flowing again. I've been able to review my novel with fresh eyes and a fresh perspective. I've actually enjoyed giving it an overhaul. Although the messiness of life hindered my progress and satisfaction for a time, it also gave me breathing space, and permission to go easy on myself for a while. Most importantly, it reminded me that writing truly is worthwhile. And ... it’s fun!

Mazzy Adams is a published author of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. She has a passion for words, pictures and the positive potential in people. 

Website: www.mazzyadams.com 

Email: maz@mazzyadams.com

Lessons from a Book Release

Two weeks ago, I released my science fiction novella, Jewel of the Stars into the world. This book is the first in what will be a long-running episodic series. In this post, I go over some of the strategies I used when releasing this book, and some of the things I have learned.

Platform

My primary marketing strategy for releasing this book was to let those in my platform known about it. I have been steadily building my platform for a number of years. My primary tool for this has been youTube. I have tried various different types of video programming, but the format that has brought me the most success so far has been my monthly Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Bulletin. This was a niche with a passionate following, that wasn’t being served on youTube. A large part of this success was the discovery of the Realm Makers Consortium.

I had also become a part of a number of valuable Facebook groups. The previously mentioned Realm Makers group, along with a science fiction themed group - Sci-fi Roundtable, and, of course, Christian Writers Downunder. I posted announcements of the book with a gentle sales pitch in each of these. I had previously established, through spending time in these groups, that they were open to, and encouraging of self-promotion. I also posted about it on the Christian Geek Central forum, where I've made some good friends. I was rather blown away by the outpouring of encouragement and support. I made 15 sales in that first day, due to this promotion.

Most of my existing platform was made up of Christians, in particular, Christians who are fans of science fiction and fantasy. This is a group of people that I am very comfortable around. They are “my people”. This book was not a specifically Christian book. Rather, it was written for the general market, although there is a Christian character among the ensemble cast, who can serve as the mouthpiece for my worldview, from time to time. Writing a book with crossover appeal to both Christian and General markets is a challenge. It’s early days yet, but so far, it seems to be doing well in both camps.

I was offered an interview by Author Eric Klein, from the Sci-Fi Roundtable. This wasn’t planned, just a case of being in the right place at the right time. This is why I love author communities. Everyone is always so willing to help each other. There’s something beautiful about our industry in that regard. We don’t have competition, just fellow adventurers on the journey.

I capitalised on my youTube audience by making an announcement trailer for the book.

Pre-Order

Once I’d settled on a release date, I had to figure out when to click the publish button on KDP. Amazon advises that publication can take up to 72 hours. In practice, it never seems to take that long. I have planned to use a pre-order so that the book would go live at exactly the time I had advertised. I realised, however, that you need to give approx 1 week’s notice (I don’t remember the exact number of days). I’d left it too late so I couldn't use the pre-order feature. Instead, I pushed the button mid-day the day before advertised release. The book went live late afternoon. Did it matter that it was live a little before I had advertised? Probably not. The lesson here was, if you want to use pre-order, make sure you set it up early enough. Also, note the pros and cons of Amazon Pre-orders (which are different to pre-orders on other stores.)

Format and Price

Novellas lend themselves beautifully to the eBook format. My plan is to collect 6 episodes into a “box set” which I will release as a paperback, but for this launch, I concentrated on eBook only.

I chose the 99 cent price point to encourage initial sales. I created scarcity by being honest that I planned to raise the price to $2.99 after one week (which I did). One commenter on a Facebook group said “for 99 cents I’ll risk it”.

Review Copies

I offered free advance review copies to my mailing list a week before release. Four people took up this offer. Within a week of release, I had a couple of reviews on both GoodReads and the Amazon sales page. Had I been more organised, I would have sent these out a little earlier, to give reviewers more time.

One of these advanced reviewers was a strong influencer in the world of Christian Sci-fi and fantasy. Not only did he write a great review, but also provided me an Author / Novel Spotlight on this website.

Cover and Blurb

If you want to sell books, a great cover and blurb are essential. I commissioned a custom cover from Inspired Cover Designs and was thrilled with the result. I actually delayed publishing for a few months so I could save up for this. That said, I found the price very reasonable. If I’d had a larger budget, I might have purchased a blurb from Bryan Cohen’s Best Page Forward. Since I didn’t have the money for that, I read Bryan’s book How to Write a Sizzling Synopsis, and followed his recommendations and forumula.

Other Media

In preparation for my release, I took a big step. I contacted one of my favourite podcasts, Lasers, Dragons and Keyboards. The hosts of this show interview speculative fiction authors, usually Christians. I gently, but confidently, asked whether they would consider interviewing me on their show. They were happy to have me and an interview is in the works. The lesson here is don't let imposter syndrome hold you back. Ask (in an appropriate way). The worst they can say is "no," but they might say "yes".

I also submitted a short story, set in the same universe as the book, to the Untold Podcast. This podcast plays audio versions of speculative fiction from a Christian worldview. I was told that my story had been added to a fairly long list, so it may take some time before anything happens with this one. When it does, that’s another magnet that may draw readers into my book. The big lesson here is that I should have submitted it much earlier. Ironically, I deliberately held off submitting for a while, because I wanted to ensure that my book was published by the time the episode went to air (assuming it would be accepted), so as not to waste the marketing opportunity. Timing is everything, and it can be very difficult to work out your first time around, as you have no previous experience to draw on.

Wide vs Exclusive

I’m a big believer in publishing wide. I’ve been on the unfortunate receiving end of exclusivity many times in the past, when I wanted to buy something, but was unable. My long-term plan always has been, and always will be, to publish widely in all available places, so that readers can find my books in their preferred store, to read on their preferred device.

All of that said, I made the very difficult decision to launch the book into Kindle Unlimited (which requires exclusivity on Amazon) for a period of time.

My reasons for this were:

• Even Joanna Penn, a big proponent of publishing wide recommends staying in KU until you have at least three books, as that’s when you can start having success in the other stores.
• Space Opera is known to do well in Kindle Unlimited.
• I hoped to raise a little extra money through KU page reads to help fund editing and cover design costs for book 2.
• As I don’t yet have a fan base to disappoint, this is the best time, if ever, to try KU,

I haven’t decided exactly when I will make the transition to wide. It may be after my initial 3-month term is up, or I may wait until I have another 1 or 2 books in the series, but it may be expedited if people start asking for the book on other platforms.

Paid Advertising (or lack thereof)

I haven’t used any paid advertising while releasing this book. The real benefit of this type of promotion comes when you have multiple books available in a series. You may make a loss while advertising book 1, but you’ll make up for it down the track with sales on books 2 and 3. Once I have a few more episodes out in the world, I will begin to look into Facebook and Amazon ads. For now, though, I’m just leaving that one alone.

Mailing List

At the time of release, I had a mailing list of 28 people. I placed notices at the beginning and end of the book, inviting readers to receive a free prequel story, to get additional background to the events of Jewel of The Stars. As a result, I gained an additional 7 subscribers.

What's next?

All that I've done so far has been a 'soft launch'. I haven't yet held any kind of official launch event. The plan was to have a Facebook party, which I haven't yet organised. I may still do this, but I'm wondering if it will reach any additional people that haven't already been reached. Still, they say readers need repeated exposures to a book before they'll take the plunge and click buy. Above all else though, my focus now needs to be on getting the second book ready to ship. The longer the time between releases, the more likely I'll lose the interest of readers who would otherwise progress to subsequent books in the series.

Result

As you can see, from the KDP graph below, I had a release day spike of 15 books, selling 28 in the first 3 days. After that initial spike dropped off, I have continued to sell one or two copies every couple of days. In addition, the book has been read twice on Kindle Unlimited.

I’m thrilled with this result. Sure, we’re talking little numbers here, but for an unknown author, with only one novella in the series, it’s a confidence-building start.

It's been exciting to see some of the strategies I've heard about for so many years begin to work for me, in a small way. I didn't pick up hundreds of email subscribers, or sell thousands of copies, but writing is a long-term game, and for me, the adventure is just beginning.

What strategies have you found helpful when releasing a book?

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About Jewel of The Stars

Haylee was more confident designing starships than raising an autistic child. She just wants a relaxing holiday with her family. But when Earth falls to an alien armada, she knows life will never be the same again.

Les was just a cruise ship captain. Now, he must rise up and become something greater, if he is to keep his crew and passengers alive.

Braxton never wanted to leave the space navy, but now, taking a cruise is the only way to feel the stars around him. This crisis may be his ticket to regaining the life he thought was gone forever.

Can they overcome their differences and save everyone on the ship?

If they reach unexplored space, they might yet survive, but an unstoppable enemy stands in their way…

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Adam David Collings is an author of speculative fiction. He lives in Tasmania, Australia with his wife and two children. Adam draws inspiration for his stories from his over-active imagination, his life experiences and his faith.
Adam is a great lover of stories, enjoying them in books, movies, scripted TV and computer games. Adam discusses these on his own youTube show – Stories with Adam Collings.
Find him at adamdavidcollings.com or sign up to his email list for a short story.

Looking but Letting Go

by Anusha Atukorala

I was rushing through the shops. Visitors were due for lunch that day. I’d planned to spend one hour at the shopping centre, then return home to add the last minute trimmings to my luncheon table before my guests got in. As I strode past my favourite clothing shop, I noticed a sale was on. Just a quick look, I told myself. A red jumper grabbed my attention, especially because it was less than half price. I tried it on. It fitted perfectly.

The truth was that I should not have been buying any clothes that day. 1) I didn’t have any extra time to check them out and 2) I needed to be careful about my spending. My beloved had given me a generous cash gift for our special Anniversary a few weeks before. However, one trip to my favourite bookshop and a good portion of it was swallowed up by a DVD (The Case for Christ), a book (Beauty will save the world by Brian Zahnd) and a worship CD. The $20 left, I’d planned to give away. That day though, temptation yanked me hard like a toddler’s tug on his mother’s skirt. I had a little chat with my Heavenly Father

“I won’t get another jumper at this price, Lord’

“Do you need it?”

“Well no, but … I don’t have this colour!’

“But red isn’t your favourite colour.’

“I know … but doesn’t it look good on me Lord?’

No response.

I knew what I had to do. You will be proud of me. I did it—I placed the jumper on the rack and walked away. It’s a skill God’s been teaching me over the last few years. I’m finally able to glance at what’s on offer but to choose to say ‘No’, even when sorely tempted. The world does have a lot of attractive specials of all kinds on offer. Have you noticed?

As a Christian Writer I don’t have a supervisor breathing down my neck—it’s just me alone with my computer. But how accountable am I to my invisible but ever present Boss—God  Himself?

Here are a few issues I’ve needed to think about and work out with godly wisdom.

1. Keeping my daily Time with God sacred and as my top priority
2. Writing not what I want to write but that which God asks of me
3. Remembering to ask His help when I write that which comes effortlessly
4. Soaking up the praise I receive versus giving God the glory
5. Being willing to give up my writing time for the good of others, when required
6. Remembering it’s not all about me—hooray for other writers’ successes
7. Choosing only essentials from a writer’s tasks to live a God-breathed life
8. Being a Disciple of Jesus first and a Writer second
9. Being more than Doing in a frenzied, fast-paced, frantic world
10. Letting go of good opinions of others to be a passionate God-pleaser

Life with God is an exciting adventure but sometimes a part of that adventure is giving up the good for what’s best. Sacrifice is never easy is it? And then … there are other times. Two years ago I went to Sri Lanka to attend a sad event—my beloved Mama’s funeral. As I talked to those who’d come to pay their respects, I met the former Captain of my Girl Guide troop, a lovely woman. She told me that Mum had promised to write an article for the Girl Guide Centenary anniversary in 2017. She asked if I would write it instead. Of course I said ‘Yes’ at once. If she’d asked me to jump off a bridge for mum, I’d have done that too. Back home, a few months later, when I recollected my promise, I had second thoughts. Could I do it? A few dozen riotous butterflies fluttered inside of me, having a field day.

The year 2017 arrived and remembering my promise … I checked on that Girl Guide article I was meant to write. I was relieved to discover it wasn’t needed after all. A reprieve. Yay! Sometimes God takes us to Mount Moriah like He did with Abraham and tests us. Are we willing to say ‘Yes’ no matter what the cost? I was so glad I had said ‘Yes’, (especially now it wasn’t needed)! At other times God asks us to say ‘No’ to what we’d like, in order to say “Yes’ to what He has planned for us.

Is there something God is asking of you today?

Or ... is there something He's been asking you to let go of?

What are the lessons you’ve been learning of late on your writing journey? I'd love to hear about them.

Anusha’s been on many interesting detours in life, as a lab technician, a computer programmer, a full time Mum, a full time volunteer, a charity director, a full time job chaser, until one golden day (or was it a dark moonless night?) God tapped her on her shoulder and called her to write for Him. She has never recovered from the joy it brought her. She loves to see others enjoying life with Jesus and does her mite to hurry the process in her world. The goodness of God is her theme song through each season, as she dances in the rain with Jesus. Please stop by at her website to say G’day to her. She’d love to see you there. Dancing in the Rain

Her first book Enjoying the Journey contains 75 little God stories that will bring you closer to your Creator. All going well, her second book will be published in 2018 – ‘Dancing in the Rain – Words of comfort and hope for a sad heart’. Stay tuned!

Nothing New Under the Sun

I loved the story of the Three Little Pigs when I was a child. I had several versions of the book ranging from a small paperback to an A4 hard cover in full colour. The large version was by far my favourite with its vibrant illustrations and easy to read text. I was happy to read it over and over, and committed the story to memory.

When I started writing years later, I didn’t want to rehash the story of the pigs - or any other book. I spent hours pondering plots and trying to come up with something fresh and original. It took me a few years to realise the truth in what Solomon pointed out in Ecclesiastes 1:9. "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

As writers, we must accept that there are a limited number of plots out there. We want our work to be original, fresh, and exciting but must realise that our story will be one that has been told before in many ways and many places. The way we put our words across is what will make the difference.

Going back to the Three Little Pigs, I liked the A4 book as it held the most appeal to my six-year old mind. I loved the full-page artwork, the cute cartoon pigs, and colours that drew me in. The text was crisp and clear and the story flowed well, leading me from page to page until the big bad wolf ended up in a pot of boiling water.

As we work on our books, no matter what the genre, let’s ask God to breathe freshness into the story.  Allow Him to inspire us with nuances of emotion, threads of colour and characters that stand out. Ask Him for stories that will prompt change, healing and restoration. This is normally a process rather than an overnight transformation but keep on writing and creating. One day you'll look down at your work and instead of a basic story that lacks colour and movement, you'll see a book bursting with life.

Exploring Genre - Supernatural Fiction (Cross over post with ACW)

By Ian Acheson

This year, the cross posts between Christian Writers Downunder and Australasian Christian Writers are focusing on genre. So far, we’ve had posts on meeting genre expectations, in Space Opera and Superheroes, Portal Fantasy and Secondary World Fantasy, Poetry, Free Verse and Verse Novels , Regency and Historical Romance and Rural and Medical Romance 

Today I’m looking at the Supernatural Fiction sub-genre and will also reference Speculative Fiction together and Paranormal Fiction.

Supernatural fiction. What is it you ask? Let’s look at a few definitions.

It is often included in the “speculative” catchall that features in many places, whether it is award programs (eg, ACFW) to certain publishers that focus entirely on novels that “explore the boundaries of the imagination” to borrow from Marcher Lord Press now rebranded Enclave Publishing. We even have a publisher down under in New Zealand that specialises in such fiction: Grace Bridges’ Splashdown Books.

It’s pleasing to know that the world’s largest Christian publisher, Thomas Nelson, has it’s own supernatural fiction category. It is the home of some of the biggest authors of the genre: Ted Dekker, Jim Rubart and Erin Healy to name just three, all of whom happen to be particular favorities of mine.

Back to the definition. In its most basic form it is simply that the story contains elements that are outside the laws of the physical world. The story typically involves a power that goes beyond natural forces and is attributed to a god or deity. The ghost story is the archetypal supernatural story. However, some commentators would treat a ghost story as “paranormal fiction.” There’s a big overlap in all these genres and sub-genres of weirdness. Angels and demons fit in the supernatural while vampires, werewolves, zombies are probably classified as paranormal. Paranormal would also include extraterrestrial life (think ET, Independence Day), UFOs, etc.

In the past decade or so we’ve seen an explosion in secular artforms showcasing all this weirdness. Whether it’s the Twilight novels and movies to The Walking Dead graphic novels and TV series plus the many spin-offs where other worlds are portrayed that typically collide with our physical world in the shape of creatures including vampires, fairies, werewolves, zombies and such like.

Increasingly we’re finding Christian authors are exploring some of these boundaries with an uptake in horror novels and even the undead. I don’t read such novels but having spoken to readers who do, they have indicated these stories explore how God triumphs over Satan in his various evil guises.

Supernatural Faith

Our faith is a supernatural one. We believe in God who exists outside of our physical world. The Bible is a supernatural book and we’re participants in a spiritual war whether we like it or not. There is another world that exists all around us. In fact, it continually intersects with what we experience with our five senses. It is in the intersection where supernatural fiction typically resides.

I think we’d all be familiar with Frank Peretti’s Darkness duo of novels (“This Present Darkness” and “Piercing the Darkness”) that had such an influence over our generation of Christian readers. Certainly there were other novels before Peretti that portrayed supernatural themes but these two are famous for their demonstration of a parallel world of angels and demons being influenced and influencing what occurs in the physical world.

When I chat with readers who are passionate about such novels, I find three recurring themes.

1. An interest in the unfamiliar

This is perhaps a key difference to romance novels where certain underlying central themes can be familiar to the reader. Spiritual warfare, a particular personal area of interest, is often not something we hear or read much about. It’s rarely a topic of discussion around the dinner table, catch up with friends nor is it often preached about in some churches.

2. Triumph over evil

Most supernatural novels will feature a strong theme of good versus evil. This can take many forms whether it’s the direct influence of a demon on a human, or villains allowing their fleshly desires to guide their actions. In evil being defeated, the reader is able to witness an expression of God’s incredible love for His creation.

3. Strengthens their faith

This third element can be applied to any genre where we see faithfulness, forgiveness, grace or any number of God’s attributes on display. We close the book with hope in our heart having been reminded of God’s awesomeness.

Writing Christian fiction that’s not preachy is especially challenging. One of the advantages I believe speculative fiction has over other genres is that it is ‘easier’ to introduce a Christian theme by using an otherworldly character, for example, an angel or demon, or a human with a special supernatural gift, or a story that is set on a completely different world/realm/time continuum.

Realm Makers Conference 

Just as the secular world has its Comic Con gigs a group of Christian authors created Realm Makers a few years ago and now host an annual conference. It was recently held in Reno in late July and I understand over 200 people attended to listen to the likes of Dekker, Rubart, Mary Weber and David Farland to name just a few. I’m hoping to get to it next year.

Recent examples of Supernatural Fiction

I’m always looking for good supernatural and speculation fiction. Craig Parshall’s new Trevor Black Series is a good one that combines the grittiness of crime drama with supernatural suspense.

I’m a big fan of the Harbinger novella series. It’s now finished having produced 20 novellas written by 5 authors: Bill Myers, Peretti, Angie Hunt, Alton Gansky and Jeff Gerke. Clever story, form of creation and distribution. We’ll see more of this multi-author style of story in the years to come.

If you haven’t sampled any supernatural fiction recently or ever may I encourage you to put a toe in the water. Perhaps start with one of the Darkness novels, which I mentioned above, or one of Jim Rubart’s. Jim’s latest, The Long Journey to Jake Palmer, is superb and was my favourite novel of 2016. You won’t be disappointed and who knows, you may become a convert.

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard, is available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Angelguard was recognised with the 2014 Selah Award for Speculative Fiction.You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter