CSFF Tour - Residential Aliens Day 3

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...

Yeah, been there, done that.

If you are looking for new and fresh science fiction and other speculative creative work, you need to check out Residential Aliens - which is why we're featuring it for the tour in August.

One thing I like about ResAliens is the fact that they look for fiction that accepts the spiritual as something acceptable to write about. Some may say that the "science" part of science fiction should preclude spirituality from being in the fiction. Doesn't science disprove religion?

Mike Duran blogs frequently about the state of fiction, Christian fiction in particular, and speculative fiction. In his post "Why Science Fiction Embraces Religion… and Science Doesn’t," he quotes another article that has this statement (regarding various sci-fi stories):

It’s never “Does this force actually exist?” It’s, “What do we call it?” Or “How do we treat it?” Or “How do we interact with it?” One of the many things that fascinates me about these stories is that the thing, whatever it is—a being, a force—always exists. Some choose to acknowledge it via gratitude, giving it a place of honor, organizing their lives around it and allowing it to feed them spiritually. Others simply use it as a thing, a tool, taking from it what they will when they will then calling it a day. But neither reaction negates the existence of the thing.

This seems to me to be what ResAliens is after - allowing authors a platform to use entertaining sci-fi stories to explore ideas that relate to spirituality.

I didn't get a chance to exhaustively peruse the whole site, but I did find one story that stood out in quality of writing and depth of ideas. "Of All Things, Seen And Unseen" is by the CSFF Tour's own Fred Warren. I picked this story to read because of this connection, but my praise is earned through his quality of work only.

 

The story is based on a universe/concept from Robert and Karina Fabian, where there is an order called the "Rescue Sisters" that aids spacefaring travelers in distress. Fred's story is his own other than being set in their universe.

 

Sister Claudia has always wanted to be a Rescue Sister. She is young and talented at what she does. However, a routine assist goes awry when she goes against orders, and she ends up losing part of her right arm. Her new disability limits her from the front line, and she struggles to find her place among the Sisters of Our Lady of the Rescue.
 
It is a straightfoward premise, but it is well-written and drew me into this setting. He paces the short story perfectly, putting us in Claudia's dilemna, giving the background needed, and propelling the plot forward. To set up an appropriate conflict and resolution in a short story while having rounded characters and an intersting setting is a significant challenge, and Fred meets all of these points. More importantly, he paints a beautiful theme with Claudia's adventure, and it is inspiring as well as entertaining.
 
I am intrigued enough with Residential Aliens that I will be watching for more from them, and will perhaps trying my own hand for a story there. I hope any fans of science fiction will check it out. My fellow tourmates have more on this, and Becky's blog keeps track of all of these.
 
Happy spacefaring!
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CSFF Tour - Residential Aliens Day 2

Welcome back, science fiction fans!

The CSFF Tour is featuring Residential Aliens, the sci-fi zine that features online and print/e-reader science fiction/speculative fiction with a spiritual bent.

The site has an impressive amount of authors who have contributed. It isn't such a niche product that there's only five people who have written for it. I recognized a few names from our very own tour, which was way cool.

One thing you should check out is the contest to win a free copy of Dead or Alive - An Aston West Collection by T. M. Hunter. Mr. Hunter has written a few novels and several short stories featuring Aston West, a good old fashioned kind of space pirate - the kind that gets into trouble and scrapes to get out of a mess. Fan of Han Solo and Mal Reynolds? Aston fits the bill. I read his short story "Some Assembly Required" featured on the front of the ResAliens page this month. It was entertaining and drew me into Aston's world without boring me with backstory. It was a thoughtful story contemplating the thought of free will and individual freedom, without being preachy. The ending felt a little rushed - maybe he had a word count he had to hit - but it was a worthwhile read.

In honor of the CSFF Tour, ResAliens is offering a free download of a recent issue for e-reader format. Check this link to try it out for your e-reader of choice.

Finally for today, if you like to write sci-fi or other speculative fiction, ResAliens takes submissions. They pay a small stipend, but it is a publishing credit nonetheless. Checking out the submission page today, out of 32 submissions, only 8 were accepted. They are discriminating.

Tomorrow I want to discuss a story I read on ResAliens that was particularly well done, as an example of the quality that smaller outfits like ResAliens can highlight.

As always, if you're looking for more, go to Becky Miller's website where she keeps track of all the posts for the tour. Don't be blazing by in light speed - stick around and enjoy!
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CSFF Tour - Residential Aliens Day 1

Welcome back Tour!

It is time again for the Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy Tour. My favorite time of the blogging month. We took a hiatus last month due to the busy summer, but we have some interesting things in the works to make up for it.

This month we're focusing on the Residential Aliens zine, featuring "spiritually infused speculative fiction."

According to editor Lyn Perry, his goal is to "embrace literature from a spiritual perspective. Combining spec fic and spirituality, and wanting to contribute to faith-informed genre fiction, ResAliens Press offers fans of science fiction, fantasy, and spiritual & supernatural thriller a quality venue in which to share their passion."

I know the quote gives the whole gamut of speculative fiction as targets, but it seems to me that ResAliens really caters to spiritual science fiction. Some would argue that sci-fi and religion are mutually exclusive - the "science vs. religion" divide. I disagree. There are many ideas in science fiction that have greater resonance with spirituality mixed in with it. Why cut off a longstanding vital aspect of human culture?

You can find out more at the ResAliens editor's blog, and Lyn's personal blog discusses other aspects of ficiton writing as well.
I'm enjoying delving into ResAlien so far, and I will be back the next two days to hopefully point you to some quality short stories. Until then, check out my tourmates below for more fun and madness!
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Noah Arsenault
Brandon Barr
Thomas Clayton Booher
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
CSFF Blog Tour
Carol Bruce Collett
D. G. D. Davidson
Dean Hardy
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Lyn Perry
Sarah Sawyer
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
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Survey Says - Who Wants to Win?

From Thomas Nelson:



One of the highlights of our days in the Fiction department at Thomas Nelson? Receiving reader letters—either directly addressed to us or passed along from our talented authors. It’s critical to be reminded that at the end of our long days acquiring, editing, designing, selling, marketing, and publicizing books, those stories are reaching readers, striking nerves, changing lives. We want readers’ feedback. How stories have given you hope. Which authors’ series you can’t help from sharing with everyone you meet. We want to know what makes you stay up late in the night to finish a story, and conversely what turns you away.


We’re conducting a series of surveys—seeking answers from readers who love Christian fiction. Up for grabs is a free ebook for every respondent who completes the survery, as well as a $10,000 prize for one entrant. The responses we gather will help shape the future of the books we publish for years to come. As well as the data we’re collecting here, we’ll also seek more in-depth feedback from a panel we’ll develop over the next year. More details to come. The note below from one of authors gives a specific picture of how reader feedback shapes her work. In short, your opinion matters! We thank you for your time and appreciate your responding.


--Thomas Nelson Fiction

Dear Friends--

Your opinion matters. It really does. I love hearing from readers about what worked for them in a story and about what doesn’t work. Reader feedback changed the balance between romance and suspense in my novels. After the Rock Harbor trilogy, I wanted to write more suspense in my novels because that’s what I personally like. But readers really wanted more relationship and romance in the books so I moved back that direction to about the same mix of 50/50 that the Rock Harbor novels contained. I write for you even more than for myself.


I had no intention of setting a whole series of books at Bluebird, Texas. It was going to be only one book, but readers sent me requests in droves for more books. The fourth book in the Lonestar series, Lonestar Angel, will be out in October. The Rock Harbor novels were going to be complete at three. There are now five and I’m thinking about another one! All due to reader demand.


I’ve often asked for reader input on names and locations too. When I was struggling for a name for my hero in The Lightkeeper’s Ball, I turned to my readers. Harrison really fit my character, and my readers told me. Love that! When I was trying to decide on a location for the new Hope Beach series I’ve started, I asked readers. Their overwhelming response was for a series set in the Outer Banks so guess what I’m writing?!


That’s why we’re coming to you for answers. We want to give you what you really want! Don’t be afraid to let us know what you really think. We value your honesty and the time it will take to share with us. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!


Your friend,

Colleen Coble
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Recent Writing Links

Quiet week on the blog front. I've been busy the last three weeks with family, vacation, a medical conference (always good fodder for story ideas), and this weekend a family camp for church. To make up for a lack of content, I present the articles I've been able to read that have helped me in the last week or two.

Kristen Lamb is a major encourager for writers, and she helps put self-discipline in context.

My friend Nicole helpfully pointed out this post, which gives tips for helping family understand the quirky needs of a writer (and if all else fails, there's always the flamethrower).

I've heard Scrivener talked up as a great writing program, but it has only been available for Mac. Now there is a beta version for Windows us PC users can check out.

Even the seat of the pants writers need structure at some point.

Finally, my friend Athena Grayson has a simple but effective exercise to help us writers "find the time".

If you find any of these links particularly helpful, please let me know!
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Not a Quitter?

OK, the title of this post is lousy since my last rambling was whether I should quit blogging to focus on writing. It is lousy because it is misleading. And since I'm still here, I'm not quitting blogging.

But I want to be a Quitter.

I've known about Jon Acuff for a while. I've checked out his Stuff Christians Like site several times and have chuckled at numerous articles (learned what a Jesus juke is, and found I'm not opposed to massages at church). He has a new book out called Quitter. I was curious, so I checked it out.

He pitches it with this statement:

Have you ever felt caught between the tension of a day job and a dream job? That gap between what you have to do and what you’d love to do?

(That's where I'm living right now)

Jon offers practical advise in a very humorous package. It turns out Jon is a successful quitter. In two ways. First, he was good at hopping from job to job. The problem was they were lateral moves, not into his dream job. Finally, he was able to leave a good day job to a dream job. It's from this experience that he shares.

He tells people not to quit too soon - to use the time with a regular job that pays the bills to prepare for the time they can do something different. He gives pointers on finding the dream you may have. A major point is to work hard (hustle) to make things happen. He had to learn to be happy with small successes before he hit the "big-time".

He writes this book for a general audience, but he includes biblical principles without preaching or quoting chapter and verse. One idea I appreciated (and was challenged by) was his emphasis on not stealing from a current job while working toward a dream job. This seemed to echo the principle of being faithful with little, so that the Lord can give more. He doesn't explain it like this, but the book has several points like this.

Jon came to fame as writing a satirical blog poking fun at the church. Thus, the book has plenty of humor. I appreciate his sense of humor and laughed at many points. Any satire/comedy won't work for everyone, so I'm sure there will be those who don't appreciate it. Those people probably don't read this blog anyway.

If you're toiling away in a job that doesn't give the type of satisfaction you think it should, if you are wondering if there is a way out of the quagmire of the grind, then Quitter is a book that can give you insight and inspiration toward a better job. It won't buff your resume or give you angelic revelation. I was bummed. But, it helped me realize I need to do more than complain, and it was an enjoyable read.

Oh, and I would recommend not leaving it out on your desk when reading it during lunch breaks - it might bring up some unwanted questions...
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Anybody out there wrestling with this issue? Any experience with this idea of day job vs. dream job?
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Writing Wisely?

After a hectic week of family and vacation, here I am again.

*crickets*

In my deeply missed absence (snicker), I have been considering some priorities and some problems that go with this.

I am trying to become a writer. Some would say I am a writer, as I have maintained this blog on a fairly regular schedule for five years now. I am not sure about the designation, but maybe I'll get there someday.

I'm also working a full-time job, trying to take care of my wife and four kids, and be a leader at church. In addition, I am also coaching soccer, keeping the house from being overrun by weeds, and avoiding stepping on two cats.

It leaves precious little time to write, and I struggle with the balance, as I know a gazillion other people out there do (I'm not trying to complain to gain sympathy, it's just the facts, ma'am.)

I wonder sometimes if I should take the time I use in writing this blog and put it toward my main project. On the other hand, the writing gurus out there recommend having a "brand" or "platform" to help you get published. So if I abandon the blog, what happens to my platform, such as it is?

So in the irony of the internet age, I am writing a blog post to ask if it is better to divide time and continue blogging, or should I back off here to put more time into "productive" writing? I would also "ask" if I use "quotations" "excessively," but I suspect I know "the" answer to that one.

Any thoughts, internet peeps? To blog or not to blog, that is the question?
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The Problem With Freedom - Day 3

There is a concept in medicine called "herd immunity."

If you are trying to immunize a population of 100 people against some nasty disease, you don't have to reach everyone with the vaccine. That is hard to achieve. The concept of herd immunity means that if you manage to treat a certain number of the population - for argument's sake we'll say 80 - then the disease does not have enough places to live.

It survives by infecting a host and reproducing, passing itself to the next victim. If one person gets the disease, but doesn't run into one of the other twenty unvaccinated people, then the disease can't continue the process. It will die out in its host whether their immune system takes it out or the host expires. Now there is one less option for spread.

I think the concept of herd immunity is key when discussing sex trafficking and reducing demand.

I've spent the past couple of posts talking about the problem with freedom. (Day 1 and Day 2) To sum up: in Western culture and especially America, we like to say that people should have the freedom to do whatever they want, as long as it doesn't hurt others. The problem becomes that we don't always realize the unintended consequences of our actions, and more people are hurt than we realize.

We may enjoy our chocolate, but the cocoa beans sold to our favorite candy company finance a brutal regime. We may want a purebred puppy, but this supports puppy mills that churns out animals that are unhealthy and contributes to an overpopulation of pets.

Men may think they can look at pornography or solicit sex with a prostitute, and it is only their business. It's not hurting anyone, and they have the right. Right?

My second post on this topic connects the increasing demand for porn and prostitution with the exploitation of children in the sex industry, as does this excellent Newsweek article. I started this whole series because of an article in the Village Voice trying to debunk statistics regarding human trafficking and attacking the campaign by Ashton and Demi's DNA Foundation that wants to eradicate child sex exploitation and trafficking.

I've described the problem. The solution is always harder than identifying the problem.

Men, we have to realize that we are contributing to the exploitation and ruination of thousands of teen girls and vulnerable women. Our lust is providing a disease with plenty of hosts. The young and vulnerable women who are exploited by this industry are the victims, being ravaged by abuse, violence, and neglect. Whereas the DNA Foundation, IJM, Free the Slaves, and GEMS among others work to help these women, the Village Voice continues its defense of its adult services site Backpage.

As the Newsweek article details, the anonymity of the internet has created a huge increase in the demand for sexual buyers. Men think we can do what we want in private without hurting others. Whether downloading items off the net or arranging services at a clandestine location, it is a right. However, it feeds an industry that is devouring more and more of the "herd".

If men would stand up and say "Real Men Don't Buy Girls," if men would realize that these activities are not harmless or private, but contribute to a larger problem, then perhaps we would start seeing some herd immunity develop. If enough men were vaccinated, as it were, then the demand would lessen and there wouldn't be as much exploitation of the vulnerable.

I am not naive enough to believe we can eradicate this problem fully. I do believe we can work to educate men, the demand part of the supply and demand equation, that their actions are harmful and reduce the problem this way. Look at the major public education campaigns in the past:

• Telling people how HIV is transmitted and how to protect themselves.
• Reducing CFC's to protect the ozone.
• Eliminating racist words from being used in mainstream culture.
• Abolishing the slave trade in the 1800's through William Wilberforce and others.

The problem of men flouting their freedom and fueling a sick industry is real and worsening. People are waking up to this and speaking out, like at the DNA Foundation. The position of the Village Voice is wrong not because I am a religious fanatic or zealot. Their position is wrong because it hurts many people and deserves to be debated and debunked.

Community is not built by everyone having their own way. Community is built by people agreeing to limit themselves for the greater good, by seeing that limits are required to live together and provide true freedom for all.
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The Problem With Freedom - Day 2

Your freedom can bring oppression to others.

That's my hypothesis for this series of posts. I started off on 7/20 referencing back to the Village Voice article that set off a lot of discussion. An excellent report of the growing demand for prostitution was posted this week by Newsweek, that also points out some of the problems with the Village Voice piece.

There's a issue that the Newsweek article started to expose that the Village Voice completely ignored. Men say they have a right to seek out sexual services, and feminists say that women have the right to offer said services if they want. The issue is that there are a ton of unintended consequences.

The Newsweek article talks about the increase in demand for prostitution. I talked yesterday about how unscrupulous people will work to meet a demand to make a profit. By offering legal services, adults who consent to a sexual transaction drive the problem of underage sexual exploitation.

Pimps who see a way to make a buck will find a way to get a woman out there. They don't care if the girl is underage and not mature enough to really consent. Pimps (whether male or female, there are women who will control other girls for money) will find the vulnerable to exploit. This can be runaways, kids from broken families, drug addicts, or wounded girls who find someone who pays attention to them.

In the very informative book Girls Like Us, Rachel Lloyd discusses the girls who get drawn into the world of sex trafficking in New York City. Many are recruited by men who claim to love them. Maybe a relative will push them out on the street, or make an internet ad to offer them up. In these cases, they don't realize what they're getting into. So women and girls are getting drawn into this violent, dangerous world. From the Newsweek article:

Prostitution has always been risky for women; the average age of death is 34, and the American Journal of Epidemiology reported that prostitutes suffer a “workplace homicide rate” 51 times higher than that of the next most dangerous occupation, working in a liquor store.

The problem truly does not stem from the supply. Yes, there will always be people who offer themselves for such services, but many more are forced into it due to the high demand.

And men, we need to answer for what we are causing. More on this in the next post.
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The Problem With Freedom

One person's freedom can be another person's prison.

Modern America loves its freedom. The rise of Western culture is dominated by independence, especially in this country. We have a national philosophy:

As long as it doesn't hurt someone else, you should have the freedom to do it.

Tell that to the commercially exploited sex trafficking victims.

Yes, I'm still fuming about the Village Voice article slamming the campaign of "Real Men Don't Buy Girls" by Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. The article attacks the statistics used by abolitionists for girls at risk of being trafficked in the U.S. More than this, they suggest the fight against trafficking is driven by the desire for federal grant money.

The Village Voice is not a disinterested party. They run Backpage, a solicitation site for adult services. After Craigslist was taken to task for its adult services pages not screening for underage girls (or boys), the Village Voice is being proactive to protect their profit margins individual freedom.

Really. They make it an argument of the right of people to seek out such services.

I agree. In America they do have a "right" to do so if they wish.

However, this doesn't make it right.

Before I get accused of imposing my morality on others, let's take a step back for a bigger perspective. According to a recent Newsweek article (excellent, BTW), the demand for pornography and sexualized services is so high in the modern Internet age. The demand can't be contained by the services of adult women who voluntarily choose to offer their wares.

Entrepreneurs are going to find a way to meet a demand.

When men indulge their lusts, they are feeding into an industry that is preying on vulnerable women and girls. Certainly there are women who freely choose to enter the oldest profession, but many more (I would wager to say the majority) are forced into it in some way, whether it is due to economic pressures or to the degree of full human trafficking. The Newsweek article was sobering when it described a study and the way they had trouble finding a control group of men who did not pay for sex or pornography in some form.

The Village Voice argued that it was the morality police trying to use the overestimated problem of child sex trafficking in the U.S. to shut down Backpage, the way Craigslist backed down on their adult ads. The problem is that they think that the problem of child sex trafficking is not linked to adult services.

Like a pebble thrown in a pond, it can create ripples across the whole body of water. My next post will look at the connection between men fueling demand and the vulnerable being victimized.
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Book Review - Pattern Of Wounds

Sophmore slump?

Look somewhere else.

J. Mark Bertrand hit the CBA scene big-time with last year's Back On Murder. I reviewed it here, and it ended up as one of my favorite books of the year.

His latest book, Pattern Of Wounds, looks to continue the...pattern.

Houston homicide detective Roland March is still battling. A year ago he was on the verge of being booted out of his department. He solved a high-profile case and solidified his position, but he isn't out of the woods yet. His lieutenant is riding him, and his captain is angling for a promotion, leaving March on an island.

When he responds to a woman's body found patially floating in a pool, he sees more than any other investigator. He sees a parallel to a murder he worked 10 years ago, one that was popularized in a true crime book.

He works the leads in the case, but promising trails grow cold. Another detective suggests a serial killer link, one that includes his old case - meaning the wrong person could be in jail.

March presses ahead, determined to prove the doubters wrong, but he may be alienating allies in the process. Even as the killer presses a little too close to home, March struggles to see the pattern of wounds in time.

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I said last year that Bertrand was pushing some boundaries of Christian fiction. I hold to that statement this year, but I want to clarify it: he is pushing the borders of quality, not just borders of content.

I don't read a lot of this genre, the hard-boiled detective mystery. However, if I knew it was all like Bertrand's work, I would have to change. He has elevated his craft since the first book. The book is told in the first person view of March. Bertrand keeps March as a character we empathize with, even as he has demons and conflict, and a few views or habits we may not like. He's real, he has the feel of a real homicide detective. It isn't sugar-coated, but it is gritty without being gratuitous.

The plot moves along nicely, not a burning pace, but evenly stretched between action, investigation, and introspection. He paints wonderful detail to place us in March's eyes. I underlined a line mentioning "a puff of [shaving cream] foam clinging to the cap." Such a small detail, but it helped me see the eagle eye March has as a detective.

The book is deeper than a crime drama. The title is a powerful metaphor for the case March is working on and the battles in his life. He's wounded, and in showing us his dirty laundry, it allows for exploration of why evil exists, the power of faith, and the struggle of life.

There was one complaint - a thread that was developed for a time early on seemed to disappear in the end. I like books that don't tie every thread into a tidy little bow, but this wasn't loose, it seemed lost. It wasn't a big deal - I didn't realize until after finishing, but I wanted to temper my otherwise high enthusiasm for this book.

Bottom line: if I wrote crime fiction, I would study Mark Bertrand's novels, because the craft and enjoyment springing from that is so good. If you like this genre at all, you should really check this book out. Even if it isn't your main reading flavor, it is worth reading.

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Legal mumbo-jumbo: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for promotion via the CFBA Tour, but with no promise of a good review. My thoughts are my own (anyone else wouldn't want them anyway!)

Invitation

You'll never believe the invitation I received this weekend.

A man in a black suit, wearing an earpiece and sunglasses, came to the front door. He handed me an official-looking envelope with a presidential seal on it. (He then proceeded to search my property for possible evil-doers, which was creeping me out, but that's another story.)

Opening the seal, I pulled out an embossed invitation, words jumping off the page in a bright red:

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Mr. Joyner,

You have been chosen, by the President of the United States, to join him in his work to help the country move forward. You do not need to apply or get approval or clearance. All the work has been done for you. The POTUS would like you to be his ambassador. You will speak in his name, and you will have all the rights and privileges that he enjoys. This is more than a government job. You will not need to face scrutiny or Congressional approval. You have, in a sense, been adopted into his family. It is an executive order, and nothing can change that. You need only to accept what is being offered to you.

Sincerely,


The President
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Wouldn't that be something? Of course, nothing of the sort happened. I didn't have a Secret Service agent on my steps or checking through my shrubbery. I didn't get a White House invite.

I've received something better though.

Instead of a special message from Washington D.C., I have an invitation all the way from Israel, the Mediterranean, and Egypt. It has been waiting for me for around 2000 years.

The Lord of heaven and earth has asked me to be His child. I didn't do anything to earn it. I couldn't do anything to earn it. But He has adopted me as His son, and wherever I go, I am His ambassador. I speak in His name and try to work for the betterment of His Kingdom. I don't always do my best, but I am working always toward the goal of pleasing my Father. The little story above is a weak analogy to what it is like to have this gift of adoption into His family.

If we were asked to serve our country, most of us would be honored, even if we didn't always agree with the current administration. How then, should we consider this invitation we have from the God of the Bible?

What would you do with a White House invitation? How do you think it compares to what I am claiming the Bible offers?

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(This idea was blatantly stolen from my good friend Kerry Neve, who said I could)

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The Word of God

 <sup>From the prophet Isaiah (ch 55):

10</sup> As the rain and the snow
   come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
   without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
   so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
   It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
   and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
¹² You will go out in joy
   and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
   will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
   will clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
   and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD’s renown,
   for an everlasting sign,
   that will endure forever.”

Debunking the Village Voice

 Last week I posted about a Village Voice article that attacked Ashton Kutcher - for daring to stand up to men who fuel the sex trafficking industry in the United States. Since then there's been a lot of back and forth about this article and the Twitter feud it launched.

Initially it seemed the most vocal were people eager to pile onto Ashton. Many people on Twitter thought he got his tail handed to him.

There's a problem with listening to the people who spout off first.

There have been some great articles standing up to the Village Voice's so-called "scientifically backed" article. People who were trashing Mr. Kutcher could do it quickly in 140 characters. The authors who spent time writing articles that showed what fools the Village Voice were took time.

Here are two excellent articles, written with a lot more thoughtfulness than what the Village Voice could muster.

Trafficked: The Village Voice Needs to Fact-Check

 An Open Letter from FTS (Free the Slaves) to The Village Voice


Remember that the Village Voice has a financial stake in this "debate," as they host a website for "adult services," without always knowing whether the people offering the services are, in fact, adults or doing it voluntarily. It is nice to see that in the financial arena it has already affected them, as American Airlines has pulled advertising from their website. It is good to see some businesses with a conscience.

I still have more thoughts on some of the root problems for slavery and child sexual exploitation. That will be for another post.
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A Few Good Posts

Amazing how a holiday throws a person out of sync...

Anyhoo.

I came across a few interesting posts last week I wanted to share. Food for thought. I don't necessarily agree 100% with everything, but I'm always up for seeing people think about issues!

I recently found an old internet pal (old being relative on the net...) was blogging regularly about writing. I'd like to introduce you to Athena Grayson, and she has a great post on evaluating your beliefs as a writer, and trying to understand the opposite perception. We all have messages to share in our fiction, and we don't want them to be preachy. If we can see other views a little more, we can work more realistic and rounded characters into our stories. Good stuff - especially since it references The Schwartz!

Mike Duran, the ever-linkable blogger and author, has done it again. Out of his post "Did Flannery O’Connor Write Christian Fiction?" came another provocative post, "On Taking the Lord’s Name in Vain." I encourage everyone to check out the second post especially, but both are instructive and the O'Connor post led to the second one.

Finally, I saw that Novel Journey was announcing some major changes. It seems they are rebranding somewhat to be bigger and better, and are now known as Novel Rocket! It seems the journey gets a boost here - so check out the new swag!

There's always good stuff out there for the writing world (since if we're not writing books, we're writing blogs. Or tweets. Or cereal boxes...) I'll try to keep the best ones coming to your attention.

An Unfortunate "Voice"

I'm not Ashton Kutcher's biggest fan.

Mr. Twitter King has not been someone I've really enjoyed in films (alright, he was funny in Cheaper By The Dozen), and I just haven't paid him much attention.

However, this year my respect grew when he and his wife Demi Moore started the DNA Foundation to help fight child sex slavery and human trafficking. They started an ad campaign that shows different Hollywood actors doing some goofy things being "manly" with the tag line REAL MEN DON'T BUY GIRLS.

The ads have gotten a little flak for supposedly being off-target. I found them humorous enough and appreciated that the message of men not paying for forced child sexual exploitation was getting out. I am passionate about seeing human trafficking end in our lifetime, and hope more people recognize the scope of this issue.

Unfortunately, the Village Voice took exception to "goofy" Ashton getting serious about this issue. Their problem is supposedly "integrity". The article claims that the numbers used by the DNA Foundation and other activists of 100,000-300,000 children being "at risk" for sexual exploitation are wildly inflated. Oh, the article gives lip service to the tragedy of any child being exploited, but that statement is very weak compared to the vitriol stirred up through the rest of the article.

The article goes to lengths to paint Ashton as a doofus who is more interested in self-image than the actual issue. It discusses a "celebrity charity advisor" that helped Ashton and Demi craft a message against child sex trafficking. It attacks the studies used to get the above number, and tries to suggest it is wildly over-estimated.

The interesting part is when the article insinuates that faith-based groups working to help end slavery are in it to win big government bucks. The disdain and bias shows clearly when talking about anyone religious participating in this work.

A disclaimer reveals Village Voice's stake in the situation:

Congress hauled in Craigslist on September 15, 2010. There, feminists, religious zealots, the well-intentioned, law enforcement, and social-service bureaucrats pilloried the online classified business for peddling “100,000 to 300,000” underage prostitutes annually.

It goes on to say that Village Voice has always advertised for adult services, and feels attacked by the "devout" now that Craigslist was taken to the woodshed.

I am shocked how Village Voice can take such an issue and turn it into a First Amendment argument? I have no experience with this magazine, as it seems to be a New York phenomenon.

I am certain that the numbers for child sexual exploitation and trafficking are very difficult to nail down. Even if the study chided in the Voice article is flawed, so is their selective research and analysis. They should be talking to people in the field like Rachel Lloyd, founder of GEMS. Still, the dismissive way they talk about faith-based advocates reveals a philosophical agenda that doesn't give any respect to the concern over human lives being so damaged and used.

I'll have more to say on this topic soon. I'm interested to see where the Village Voice goes now after staking such a horrible position. It drove me to become more of an Ashton Kutcher fan and a follower of his on Twitter. Maybe there's a little reverse effect going on. 

My final thought is a lyric from a song from the 90's:

"Human rights have made the wrongs okay"

Slavery sucks. People need to see some of the root causes and stand for what's right.

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Thoughts on Christian Horror

Last week I was part of a blog tour that featured Darkness Follows by Mike Dellosso, a good read that falls in the category of "supernatural suspense" in the Christian fiction (CBA) industry. I made the argument on Wednesday that it really is a horror book.

Sorry for giving that little detail away Mike. ;)

Anyhoo.

I asked why books like this are marketed with what basically amounts to a euphemism. From the comments last week, both Mike and Nicole hit it on the head.

Sales.

The label of "horror" is as loaded as the label of "Christian fiction." As Nicole said, it conjures images of Stephen King and the horror movie trinity of Freddy/Michael/Jason (I take umbrage at the last one). I've only read one King novel, and didn't enjoy the things it did to my imagination. I understand he has books like The Stand that read differently from Pet Sematary. But his reputation is so strong, it is hard for him to write something else that will break through to readers other than his fan base.

Conversely, it is hard for many readers to get away from the stereotype of slasher flicks/books to open up a thoughtful book like Darkness Follows that explores the love of a father and a daughter. DF has a body count, but it is not gory or gratuitous. People die to further the plot, not to shock. Mike in his comment laments the reality of the situation, because I think (as he does) some readers who would enjoy a book like DF won't find it because it isn't labeled as horror, although he would lose more if it was marketed as horror.

It is a catch-22 inherent in the CBA industry. It is more conservative than the ABA market it parallels. For those of us who read widely or want to write for the CBA, we just have to keep this in mind. The CBA market is changing, but slowly and not without growing pains and waxing/waning.

I don't know if we'll end up with a genre of Christian horror in the CBA. Perhaps the euphemism of "supernatural suspense" is here to stay. BTW, I like a category of supernatural suspense, but I think it is too broad to do horror justice, especially since it fits books like This Present Darkness and the Left Behind series.

Thoughts? Should the CBA aspire to having a horror category someday?
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CSFF Tour - Darkness Follows Day 3

Hey! You, web surfer! Yeah you.

C'mere for a sec.

See, I'm part of the Christian Sci-fi/Fantasy Tour, and we just talked about a cool and creepy book called Darkness Follows by Mike Dellosso. I talked about it Monday with an overview, and Tuesday with a review.

I don't really want to talk about it today.

Not directly, at least.

Like I said, I'm in a book tour for Christian speculative fiction. There's cool people here that like interesting books. There's an interesting aspect of this month's tour I wanted to investigate.

The book was brought to us for a speculative angle - the protaganist in modern times finds pages from a Civil War officer's journal, in his own handwriting. The book is considered in the CBA realm as "supernatural suspense."

The thing is, the book is really a horror book.

It's not horrible. Hor-ror. It is scary and spooky [insert Addam's Family theme song here]. It has a purpose in its scare factor, but it definitely has the chills factor.

It seems the CBA industry is scared of labeling books as "horror." I don't mind that a speculative fiction tour is featuring this book, it is pretty good, and I'm glad I got to read it. I think it serves a certain type of reader, and does it without some of the hopelessness found in regular horror fiction.

I don't have all the insights in this quirk of the CBA. For a better authority, I'll refer you to Mike Duran on his posts concerning "Can Horror Fiction Be 'Redemptive'" (part 1, 2, 3) and a quick discussion on covers speaking about horror here, as well as Mike Dellosso's own words in this post.

Seemed like a good time to take on this idea of the label of "horror" vs. "supernatural suspense" to a group that enjoys speculative fiction. I've read CBA books ranging from a ghost story (Robin Parrish's Nightmare, labeled as "paranormal suspense") to vampires (Eric Wilson's Jerusalem Undead series) that would fit into a horror genre in a normal bookstore, but don't get promoted that way in the CBA.

Why is that?

I have my thoughts, but what say you, the well-read and clever folks of the CSFF Tour? Let me know what you think, and I'll answer back in a few days.
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Uh, to get back on track, here's where you can find all of the other fine posts on Darkness Follows from my tourmates.

Thanks for stopping by.

CSFF Tour - Darkness Follows Day 2

Yesterday for the CSFF Tour I introduced and gave an overview of Mike Dellosso's latest novel, Darkness Follows.

Mike writes in the category of "supernatural suspense," which basically is the CBA euphemism for horror. There are speculative elements, so the term is not totally inaccurate. Still, it is good to evaluate it in the proper viewpoint.

Strengths: The book creates a lot of tension around Sam Travis, the protaganist. Is he cracking due to his head injury? Is he having a psychiatric break, or is there an outside force working on him? Mike sets up this question in the reader's mind, and does a good job drawing it out through to the end. This is why I liken it to The Shining. He keeps the suspense bulding with this tactic effectively.

The mystery killings also set the mood. We know early on they lead to Sam somehow, but the question is dangled each time, slowly moved along, keeping the reader wondering about them. Mike was able to get me second-guessing myself, so the payoff at the end was satisfying in many ways.

Even though I compared it to The Shining, there is a deeper sense of hope. There's despair, danger, a sense of darkness, but it isn't fatalistic. It is not dark for darkness sake. If a reader has a problem with some of the nihilistic stories out there, this book doesn't have that type of effect.

Weaknesses: The early part of the book sets up enough information to catch the reader's attention, but it is a bit of a slow burn early in the book. It took a little while to fully capture me - but it did grab me and really draw me in about halfway through. This isn't a terrible weakness, but it wasn't immediately gripping.

There are a couple of plot points that don't fully pan out. One of them is too one-dimensional, not developed quite enough. Another major point comes out of left field, and left me with the thought of, "What was THAT?" I don't want to give them away, and they aren't major pitfalls, but they kept the book from the "Wow!" range.

Overall: The book is in the "that was a good read" range. I read some horror-type novels, but I don't like gratiutous violence or language. This book is not for the highly sensitive, as there is a body count and some gruesome details at times. The suspense is more on a psychological level, not a gross-out level, and that's the type of horror I can enjoy. I read his first book, The Hunted, which I enjoyed and saw his promise. I believe Mike is continuing to deliver enjoyable and thought-provoking fiction, and I can recommend Darkness Follows to fans of psychological suspense/horror and those who don't mind some chills with their entertainment.

I'm not the only voice on this tour - see what my tourmates have to say by checking Becky's blog for the latest posts. Tomorrow I want to touch on the idea of supernatural suspense vs. horror in the CBA realm.
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Legal disclaimer/mumbo-jumbo: As part of the tour, I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

CSFF Tour Day 1 - Darkness Follows

June is here. Time for campfires and spooky stories. And the CSFF Tour has the book for you.

We are featuring the latest from Mike Dellosso, Darkness Follows. 

Continue on with the tour, if you dare...

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Sam Travis is an out of work carpenter, on disability due to a recent fall and head injury. He's struggling with his slow recovery and the natural need of a husband to provide for his wife Molly and daughter Eva.

One night he is awakened by the sounds of battle. Living near Gettysburg, the sound is not unusual due to the frequent reenactments.

Except that is November, long past the time for it.

He investigates the sounds, and it leads him to a journal written by a Union officer named Samuel Whiting. The entry speaks of darkness and death. The despair of battle.

And it is written in Sam Travis's writing.

The despair from the journals invade Sam's life. He is reminded of his dead brother Tommy, and the memories that are supposed to be locked away in the recesses of his mind. He wonders if he is dealing with complications from his accident, or if the darkness that follows Samuel Whiting is coming after him next.

As mysterious deaths pile up around the area, and an influential senator plans a major speech at Gettysburg, Sam's hold on reality is tenuous. His family is fighting for him, but he doesn't know if it is enough to keep him from doing something terrible, something calling from the darkness...

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Interested? Then check out Mike's blog for more information, my faithful friends in the CSFF Tour below, and I'll have a review of the book tomorrow.

Noah Arsenault

Red Bissell

Thomas Clayton Booher

Beckie Burnham

Melissa Carswell

Karri Compton

CSFF Blog Tour

Chris Deane

Cynthia Dyer

Nikole Hahn

Katie Hart

Ryan Heart

Bruce Hennigan

Julie
Carol Keen
Inae Kyo
Shannon McDermott
Allen McGraw
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Sarah Sawyer
Kathleen Smith
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler