2 Questions for Frank Creed

Interviewing Frank Creed, an "End Times Sci-Fi and Cyberpunk" author, novelist, speaker, and workshop presenter. Frank helped found The Lost Genre Guild and publishes "The Underground," an ezine covering the latest in Christian spec fic. His amazing testimony is at FrankCreed.com.

1. What are you reading?

I'm reading The Blue Enchantress, by my favorite living novelist M. L. Tyndall, and Jill Elizabeth Nelson's Witness to Murder.

2. What are you writing?

While a Calamity Kid short story titled "Whiskey in the Jar" languishes, I'm outlining Book Three of the Underground, working with clients at The Finishers.biz (my professional manuscript service) - AND moving from Indiana to Vancouver, Canada. Moving makes writing hard. I thank God for my laptop!

RA Note - Frank also shares: War of Attrition: Book Two of the Underground, sequel to the award-winning Amazon-best-selling Flashpoint has been pushed back to December 2009 ARGH! But "Join the Underground: The Role Playing Game" is available at online booksellers. I was a consultant to RPG designer Mike Roop for this project that's engineered on a highly-available six-sided dice system. Best of both worlds: an exciting cyberpunk sci-fi game without shopping for fancy dice!

2 Questions for Rachel Starr Thomson

Interviewing Rachel Starr Thomson, the author of the Seventh World Trilogy: Worlds Unseen, Burning Light, and The Advent (coming in 2010). She edits, coaches young writers, writes for Boundless.org and other publications, and generally breathes words for a living.

1. What are you reading?

Just finished Robin Parrish's sci-fi novel Offworld for the CSFF Blog Tour. I can tell you two things: 1. Everyone disappears. 2. Sci-fi is not really my genre, but interesting characters will suck me in every time. I'm also reading Frank L. Houghton's Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur, the biography of a missionary woman who inspires me on several levels, including writing - she wrote beautifully and prolifically. Then there's A Short Guide to Writing About Literature by Barnet and Gilbert, and my ongoing study of the Bible - I'm hovering over several of Paul's epistles just now. Finally, when I find myself inhabiting a quiet, candlelit evening or a spot on an empty beach, I read a chapter or two of A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken.

2. What are you writing?

I've been working on articles here and there, covering topics from wild turkeys (to appear, tentatively, in HomeschoolingToday Magazine) to the writings of Amy Carmichael ("Fire-Words" to appear, non-tentatively, at Boundless.org). Most of my writing energy is going into The Advent, Book 3 of my fantasy Seventh World Trilogy.

RA: Thanks, Rachel! Sounds like you have a busy reading and writing schedule. Best wishes as you finish book 3. Readers can find out more at RachelStarrThomson.com, as well as her Inklings Blog.

CSFF OFFWORLD Tour Day 3

Third and final day of a blog tour featuring Robin Parrish's newest novel, Offworld (you can see the book trailer at youtube).

Robin Parrish had two great ambitions in his life: to have a family, and to be a published novelist. In March of 2005, he proposed to his future wife the same week he signed his first book contract with Bethany House Publishers. They contracted him for the rights to not only that first book, Relentless - but the two sequels Fearless and Merciless, a trilogy that unfolded in the consecutive summers of 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Robin Parrish is a journalist who's written about pop culture for more than a decade. Currently he serves as Senior Editor at XZOOSIA.com, a community portal that fuses social networking with magazine-style features about entertainment and culture. He's also an avid fan of "Lost" and blogs about each episode at Approaching LOST. He and his wife, Karen and son live in North Carolina.

Review of Offworld by Robin Parish

Something is wrong with the world.

It's July 4, 2033 and Commander Christopher Burke and his crew have just returned to Earth from the first manned mission to Mars - only to find humanity missing. They've been away for more than two years and now it appears everyone, everywhere, is offworld.

Months prior to their return strange happenings occur around the globe - a T-Rex stomps out of a cave in France and vanishes, Flamingos turn from pink to blue and back again in a Denver zoo, a lake in New Zealand appears then disappears.

Then, humanity vanishes. Burke and his three crew mates are thrust into a new mission: to discover who or what is behind the disappearance of ten billion people.

~*~

This is the premise behind the latest novel by Robin Parrish, also the author of the Dominion Trilogy. Parrish is a competent author - a solid story teller, character developer, and vivid "imagineer." He blends elements of science fiction, superhero action, and fantasy into a contemporary fiction typical of what's currently on the shelves at your local B&N. (Think M. Night Shyamalan meets The X-Files meets The Avengers.) Offworld competes nicely with other titles by name brand authors and I'm betting that with his next novel he will make the jump from the Religious Fiction section (where I found him at my local big box) to the regular shelves (where, btw, Jeffrey Overstreet and Donita K. Paul recently moved).

However, Parrish has a few plotting dangers to watch out for, in my opinion. The first one has to do with the theme itself. People disappearing? Yawn. The idea didn't grab me. I'd read On the Beach (a classic), I avoided Left Out or Get Behind or whatever (not a classic), and I hate dream stories ("and then I woke up"). So I was a bit skeptical going in. Don't get me wrong, I liked the book. I'm happy to report (non-spoiler alert) that the plot has nothing to do with nuclear weapons, the rapture, or cannabis. And although not terribly original nor completely satisfying, the mystery revealed in the somewhat longish denouement at least tied the story together.

Another weakness (again, imo, as I'm sure some readers love this part) is the action sequences. Some parts read like a beat-em-up-smash-em-up car chase that might translate well on film but had me skimming during what was supposed to drive the final climax of the story. When I find myself flipping to the explanation (give me the reveal already!) then that's a sure sign I've lost interest. I'm usually a word by word reader and I measure the quality of the story on how many times I start skimming. Offworld lost me on only two or three occasions, so that translates to pretty good overall.

The author's strength is character driven stories - good people with angst set in compelling situations with enough reality based conflict to give the fantastical elements of the story their appeal. I like spec fic but I like good characters and story telling best. And Parrish delivers. This is a clean, non-religious but spiritually themed novel by a writer who happens to be a Christian rather than a writer trying to spin a 'Christian' novel.

Recommended read if you like this style.
Rated 7 of 10.

This post is day two of the CSFF Blog Tour of Offworld by Robin Parish.

CSFF Blog Tour for OFFWORLD by Robin Parish

Today is the official start of the CSFF Blog Tour for Robin Parish's Offworld. You can also visit RobinParish.com for more details.

I'll post my review tomorrow, but here are some reviews now.

+ Faith & Geekery
+ Should Be Reading
+ Steps
+ The Christian Manifesto
+ interview by Profess
+ da Blog
+ Window to My World
+ Sally Bradley.com
+ Valerie Comer's Little Worlds
+ Timothy Taylor
+ Mimi
+ Then there is my 1, 2, 3-part Q&A with the author about his novel Fearless

And now, here are the CSFF Participant Links for the Offworld Blog Tour:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Gina Burgess
Canadianladybug
Melissa Carswell
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Steve Rice
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Stephanie
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Elizabeth Williams

Clive Staples Award for Christian Spec Fic

Image via Wikipedia

Generating buzz and interest in a proposed "Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction." (Clive Staples being C. S. Lewis' full name, for the uninitiated. :-)

Why? Because The Christy Awards does not have a category for speculative fiction. This general lack of awareness (or respect) for spiritually themed spec fic in the CBA industry has led to numerous grassroots blogs, guilds, and independent presses that are not only filling the void but starting to impact the traditional houses themselves.

Blogs like Becky Miller's A Christian Worldview of Fiction. Groups like The Lost Genre Guild. And indie publishers like Marcher Lord Press. Then you have a growing number of zines as well (including my own ResAliens.com) that seek to bring quality spec fic to the expanding online community interested in this genre.

Interested in generating your own buzz? Comment below!

2 Questions for Sue Dent

Interviewing Sue Dent, a writer of stories that appeal to general market horror/fantasy/fiction readers as well as those who favor narrowly targeted work put out by affiliated Christian publishers.

1. What are you reading?

The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies by Robert Kirk, also known as the "fairy" minister. It's research for the third installment in my vampire/werewolf Thirsting for Blood series. Robert Kirk was the seventh son of a seventh son and was therefore predispositioned to have second-sight. In his book Kirk details visits he had with others like him. It was probably written in the late 1600s but was first published in 1815 by Sir Walter Scott. Robert Kirk was a minister and the first to translate the Bible into Gaelic.

2. What are you writing?

I'm currently working on Cyn No More, the third installment of my Thirsting for Blood series. Vampires and werewolves and . . . fairies? In recent news concerning the series here in the US, both Never Ceese and Forever Richard were approved for distribution to the Christian market. (RA Note: For more on the trials and travails of bridging the ABA/CBA gap, visit Sue Dent's Official Blog Spot.)

RA: Thanks, Sue, for sharing what's in and out of the creative pipeline. Best wishes on book three! For more information about Sue and her projects, you can catch her on Facebook and at her publisher's website, The Writers' Cafe Press. Both books have their own sites as well: Never Ceese and Forever Richard.

2 Questions for Brandon Barr

Interviewing Brandon Barr, the co-author of the novel When the Sky Fell. His short stories have appeared in Residential Aliens, Haruah, Ray Gun Revival, Revelation Magazine, Digital Dragon, among others. His newest novel, Midnight over Midian, is a story of church persecution, and the struggles of a young girl caught in a radically changing American culture. The novel is due out in 2010.

1. What are you reading?

I'm currently reading three books: The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur, The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel, and The Bicentennial Man by Isaac Asimov.

2. What are you writing?

I'm currently editing my novel Midnight over Midian, which should come out in 2010, published by Silver Leaf Books. It's a story of real church persecution in America through the eyes of a struggling teenage girl. I'm also working on chapter nine of the sequel to When the Sky Fell.

RA: Thanks, Brandon! Wish you and Mike well on the sequel, and best wishes in all your projects. For more information on what Brandon is up to, visit BrandonBarr.com.

2 Questions for Mike Lynch

Interviewing Mike Lynch, author of When the Sky Fell, a science fiction novel co-authored with Brandon Barr, both of whom I interviewed at ResAliens Zine. But I didn't ask them these questions.

1. What are you reading?

I just started reading Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I've talked with a number of people about this book, including Brandon, and they all say it is a must read.

2. What are you writing?

Brandon and I are currently writing a sequel to our novel When the Sky Fell.

RA: Now that was short and sweet. Thanks Mike! When I asked him what he's known for online, he replied: "I am known for offering a quick joke or humorous comment when I reply to someone's e-mail. You gotta a problem with that?" I don't! But for more on his upcoming projects, visit Mike Lynch Books.

2009 Hugo Award Winners

Blatantly cut & pasted from The Hugo Awards website:

• Best Novel: The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK)
• Best Novella: “The Erdmann Nexus”, Nancy Kress (Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2008)
• Best Novelette: “Shoggoths in Bloom”, Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s Mar 2008)
• Best Short Story: “Exhalation”, Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)
• Best Related Book: Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008, John Scalzi (Subterranean Press)
• Best Graphic Story: Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones, Written by Kaja & Phil Foglio, art by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)
• Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: WALL-E Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter, story; Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, screenplay; Andrew Stanton, director (Pixar/Walt Disney)
• Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Joss Whedon, & Zack Whedon, & Jed Whedon, & Maurissa Tancharoen, writers; Joss Whedon, director (Mutant Enemy)
• Best Editor Short Form: Ellen Datlow
• Best Editor Long Form: David G. Hartwell
• Best Professional Artist: Donato Giancola
• Best Semiprozine: Weird Tales, edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal
• Best Fan Writer: Cheryl Morgan
• Best Fanzine: Electric Velocipede edited by John Klima
• Best Fan Artist: Frank Wu

And the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (presented by Dell Magazines): David Anthony Durham

2 Questions for Grace Bridges

Interviewing Grace Bridges, a Kiwi of Irish descent, a sci-fi author (Faith Awakened, 2007, and Legendary Space Pilgrims, coming soon), and the owner of Splashdown Books, an independent publisher of inspirational sci-fi and fantasy.

1. What are you reading?

Currently: The Battle for Vast Dominion by George Bryan Polivka, book three of the Trophy Chase trilogy. I really enjoy his writing style and depth of expression. In fact I even caught myself wishing he'd turn his hand to sci-fi, though I do realize that may be equally ineffective as telling yours truly to have a go at fantasy. But even if sci-fi runs hot in my veins, I do enjoy reading a good fantasy - and Bryan's Firefish stories are some of the best you can get.

2. What are you writing?

Good question. I'm knee deep in the first draft of Godspeed, which is the sequel to Faith Awakened, however I have to say that I'm not really working much on that at present. I have started up Splashdown Books as an independent publisher and I've got a lot of work to do if I want my first two titles to appear for Christmas. One is a new edition of Faith Awakened, and the other is a wonderful fantasy called
The Muse, from my first contracted author, Fred Warren. Then there are the final edits for Legendary Space Pilgrims, and a first draft called CyberDublin languishing in need of a secondary plotline. I'll get to that next year, Lord willing.

RA: Thanks, Grace for the updates. Readers might be interested to know that Grace is a chocoholic cat-lovin' Trekkie, Jesus freak, web designer, and all-round DIY gal who also takes care of the Lost Genre Guild blog. You can find her at GraceBridges.com and on Twitter: @gracebridges.

2 Questions for Andrea Graham

Interviewing Andrea Graham, who is the assistant editor of Laser & Sword Magazine and a freelance editor at POV Boot Camp. She also reviews books from a Christian worldview at Ask Andrea.

1. What are you reading?

Since I'm a reviewer, I read mainly ARCs sent to me by publishers. My reviewer site's main feature is an advice column, so I get a lot of books on Christian living and relationships. But I also just finished reading a middle reader novel and the next one I need to read is an adult speculative fiction title. Overall, in recent years I've read a lot of fantasy, and a little romance, fiction wise. And it shows.

2. What are you writing?

I'm currently in the beta reading stages of a romantic science fantasy about an ex-Christian vegan feminist stranded on an matriarchal alt-earth with a deposed queen and a men's libber in hiding from a knight who could crucify him if he's captured. Anyone who would like to be added to my list should contact me at any of my websites.

RA: Thanks, Andrea, for taking time to answer the 2 Q's :-) As part of your beta group I look forward to reading your latest! Best wishes in all your projects.

2 Questions for R. L. Copple

Interviewing R. L. Copple, a writer of fantasy and science fiction stories. Along with several short stories and flashes published online, he has two published books: Infinite Realities and Transforming Realities. He keeps us up to date at RLCopple.com.

1. What are you reading?

Two books: Seabird by Sherry Thompson and League of Superheroes by Stephen Rice. The first is fantasy and the second science fiction. I'm reading them mainly because they sounded like interesting books, and hoping I can do a review of them.

2. What are you writing?

I have the last book of the Reality Series out with beta readers tentatively titled, The Reality. Polishing a space opera called Mind Game I hope to sell, and doing a rewrite of the first science fiction novel I wrote that made me decide to start writing fiction titled Worlds Apart.

RA: Thanks, Rick, for giving us an update on your projects. And best wishes at FenCon next month in Dallas where I see you are a panel guest! If you want more of Copple's work, listen to Ray Gun Radio, a popular Space Opera Podcast he hosts and produces.

Review of Transforming Realities by R. L. Copple

R. L. Copple's first novel, Transforming Realities, picks up the theme and expands the storyline of his earlier novella sized collection of short fiction, Infinite Realities. In many ways, this sequel reads like an anthology of adventure stories with the chapters (37 of them over 215 pages) serving as bite-sized scenes – most of them ending in a “cliff-hanger” that sets the stage for the next scenario.

One of Copple's strengths is his ability to develop drama, create tension, and reach a climax in just a few pages. This approach works well for short fiction but a novel requires a longer view. While Transforming Realities does have an overarching plot that is advanced scene by scene, the drama-tension-climax-repeat formula made the journey a bit tiresome, in my opinion. Having followed the characters through storm and peril, ambush and imprisonment, evil wizard and demon encounters, as well as numerous fights, flights, and escapes, there just wasn't much “punch” left by the end of the story.

That being said... (read the rest of this review at SFReader.com)

New Gig at Tangent Online

Excited to report that I'll be adding an occasional review to Tangent Online, a Fantasy and SF review magazine. When The Fix (see my reviews there) went on hiatus (I think they are back now with three new reviews posted today!) I wanted to continue to write and so contacted the editor there. He liked my previous reviews and gave me my first assignment for TO: Fantasy & Science Fiction. F&SF is celebrating its 60th Anniversary this year, so I'm honored to review stories by such grand masters as Robert Silverberg, Kate Wilhelm, Carol Emshwiller, and others. Watch for it in a few weeks.

2 Questions for Stoney M. Setzer

Interviewing Stoney Setzer, a middle school special education teacher near Atlanta, GA. Stoney’s works have appeared in Dragons, Knights & Angels and ResAliens (most recently, "Square Peg") among other publications.

1. What are you reading?

I'm currently reading When Heaven Weeps by Ted Dekker. My genre interest runs more toward harder-to-classify, "Twilight Zone" type spec-fic that focuses on ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. To give you an idea, three of my all-time favorite books are The Oath by Frank Peretti, Thr3e by Ted Dekker, and The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories, an anthology containing some of the original short stories later adapted into episodes of the classic series ("To Serve Man," "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", etc.).

2. What are you writing?

As for current projects, I always have at least a couple of short stories going. I'm in talks with the editor of ResAliens [RA Note: That's me! :-) ] to publish an anthology of 15 of my stories. I have a novel I'm working on as well, but it's sort of slow going right now. I'm also starting a youth drama ministry in my church called "Stage Right."

RA: Thanks, Stoney! I'm excited about launching ResAliens Press with your anthology. Best wishes in all your projects.

Jim Baen's Universe to Close April 2010

From the editor of Jim Baen's Universe, Eric Flint, August 1, 2009:

I’ll write a long analysis of the reasons we found it necessary to close the magazine for the October issue. I’m not in position to do it right now, however, because I simply don’t have the time. As many of you know already, I had to have open heart surgery three months ago (triple bypass operation) and once I was able to work again I was under tremendous deadline pressure to work with David Weber to get Torch of Freedom finished. (That’s the next volume in Weber’s Honor Harrington series, coming out in November.) So I’ll still trying to catch up with everything.

For the moment, I’ll just provide a short summary. In a nutshell, we were simply never able to get and retain enough subscribers to put us on a sales plateau that would allow us to continue publishing. From the beginning, we were too dependent on the income from the Universe club. The Club’s purpose was to provide the magazine with a much-needed initial surge of income—which it did indeed provide—and then, after the first year, to continue as an important but subsidiary source of income. Instead, the Club wound up being the source of about half of our annual income, from beginning to end.

That was just too much; or, to put it another way, a reliance on too few critically important subscribers. Once some of them began to fall by the wayside—which was inevitable and, indeed, something we expected—the magazine’s income began to be badly squeezed.

It was our hope from the beginning that, as time went by, we’d expand our regular subscription base to the point where that base alone provided all the income we needed to keep publishing. Obviously, a situation where many customers are paying a small amount is a much more stable and dependable financial basis on which to operate a magazine.

But... we never got there. As I said, we came close. But it was never enough, and as time went by the situation simply became untenable. By the end of our third year of publication (which was officially July 31, 2009), we saw no reason to think that the situation would change—not, at least, in the near enough future—and so we made the final decision to close the magazine. We wanted to make that decision early enough that we could avoid the sort of mess that so often accompanies the folding of magazines. (Short-changed subscribers, orphaned stories, unpaid authors... oh, it can get very ugly indeed.)

For whatever it’s worth, I can assure you that no one is sorrier that we had to come to this decision than the magazine’s editors, Mike Resnick and myself, and the rest of the magazine's staff: Paula Goodlett, our managing editor, Dave Freer (art director), Rick Boatright (tech geek), Walt Boyes (marketing) and Stoney Compton (for lack of a better term, our utility infielder.).

Eric Flint
August 1, 2009

2 Questions for Bonnie S. Calhoun

Interviewing Bonnie Calhoun. She is the Owner/Director of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance (CFBA) and the Owner/Publisher of Christian Fiction Online Magazine (CFOM) and the latest contracted writer for Abingdon Press Fiction. She is also the Northeast Zone Director of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

1. What are you reading?

The last book I read a few weeks ago was Exposure by Brandilyn Collins. I read in the genre that I write because that's where my passion lies. Any action/adventure/suspense/mystery is up my alley. I love the heart-pounding effect! :-)

2. What are you writing?

Well I'm working on two projects. For Abingdon I'm writing the second book in the Madison PI series called Thicker Than Blood. And then another project is a suspense novel, as yet untitled, that will be sure to make your heart create irregular beats!

RA: Congratulations, Bonnie, on all your successes. And thank you for taking the time to share what's going on in your world. For more about what Bonnie is up to, visit her site.

2 Questions for Selena Thomason

Interviewing Selena Thomason, a freelance writer with more than thirty published stories, most of which are available through her website, Selena's Place. She is also the Managing Editor of MindFlights, a magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

1. What are you reading?

I am currently reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and re-reading The Craft of Writing Science Fiction That Sells by Ben Bova.

2. What are you writing?

I am not writing much of anything right now except for writing practices. I am in search of my next story but haven't found it yet. I do have a story coming out soon in The Lorelei Signal, so I'm excited about that.

RA: Congratulations on your upcoming story and thanks for answering our questions. Best wishes in all your projects. Selena can also be found on Facebook and Shoutlife.

2 Questions for Rebecca LuElla Miller

Interviewing Becky Miller who is a Christian fantasy novelist, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Because of her work organizing the CSFF Blog Tour, some members have (fondly?) dubbed her "The CSFF Overlord."

1. What are you reading?

I’m reading When the Sky Fell by Mike Lynch & Brandon Barr (Silver Leaf Books) [RA Note: ResAliens interviews Mike & Brandon here], a science fiction novel that has me out of my comfort zone. (I’ll be back into fantasy as soon as Andrew Peterson’s North! Or Be Eaten arrives. ;-).

In non-fiction I’m reading The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias (Zondervan). And professionally I’m making my way through The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass (Writer’s Digest Books).

2. What are you writing?

I’m revising book three of The Lore of Efrathah quatrain. The working title is Escape from Moldark. I’m also working on a short story for a contest. It’s quite different than anything I’ve done so far, which makes it extra fun. I also am toying with a book of devotions and a non-fiction book I’m calling Women NOT in the Bible.

RA Note: Thanks, Becky, for being our first "2 Questions" interviewee. Readers can find out more about Rebecca LuElla Miller at her personal blog, A Christian Worldview of Fiction, and her editing blog, Rewrite, Reword, Rework as well as Facebook, Shout Life, and LinkedIn.