Rachel Starr Thomson

I met Chawna Schroeder online during the CSFF Blog Tour for Blaggard’s Moon. She had mentioned taking fantasy books to a homeschool conference; intrigued, I asked her for more information on what she does. It turns out we have a lot in common! Chawna is a homeschool graduate who writes fantasy and science fiction (her novel Metamorphosis won the ACFW’s Genesis Competition in 2008 in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Speculative category). But she’s also involved in the literary world in another, unique way.

About me–well, I was homeschooled from fourth grade through high school, and during late high school as I started weighing college options, decided that I wanted to become a novelist. After attending a small local writing conference and joining a local guild, I decided that pursuing a degree in literature or English or such would gain me more debt than help. So with my parents’ support, I skipped college and pursued an education in writing through writing conferences, books, and three 2-year correspondence courses.

During some of those writing conferences, I heard it mentioned again and again that there was no way to tap the homeschool market and those who could learn to break into that market would earn major points with a publisher. I don’t know that last part is true, but being a homeschooler with a slightly rebellious streak, I decided I would take a whack at cracking that market. I did some brainstorming with my older sister, who now homeschools her three kids, and a few ideas resulted.

I can’t say that I’ve “cracked” the market — I think there are many others who may be doing a much better job of that than me — but I decided to do some experimenting nonetheless. I love sci-fi and fantasy. Many Christians, including (dare I say especially?) homeschoolers, either fear that genre or don’t know that Christian sci-fi and fantasy exists. The best way to introduce them to it is through a recommendation of someone they trust. My sister’s local Christian homeschooler conference is small and needed vendors. And so the current project was born.

Over the next few months, I hope to feature several young authors and other literati on Inklings. Chawna is the first. Today, I want to share more about her “current project.” Tomorrow, I’ll post Chawna’s essay on dark fiction, which has some great thoughts about the way we portray evil in writing. And on Friday, we’ll wrap up with Chawna’s recommended list of Christian fantasy. In the meantime, check out her Web site here (including sample pages from Metamorphosis and two other novels) and explore her blog, Imagination Investigation.

Chawna’s story continues:

I gathered up my personal collection of Christian sci-fi and fantasy, picking out only what I considered the best, since I know how picky homeschoolers can be about the quality both in content and craft. I wrote a couple of essays on my views of fiction, fantasy, and how that intersects with the Christian faith for free handouts on my table. I printed out the book reviews I had done. Then I headed out, stood behind a table, and talked to anyone whose attention I could capture.

My finances are quite limited, so I’ve only been able to vendor a few smaller conferences thus far, and I can’t say that I’ve been all that successful. Nevertheless, in these two short years, I developed a real passion for talking to homeschoolers (and Christians in general) about not only about sci-fi/fantasy, but also about the Scriptural foundation for it and the Scriptural foundation for balanced discernment in fictional media overall.

I find many Christians, even those who are discerning and thoughtful in other arenas, become somewhat arbitrary and inconsistent on why it’s okay to read this book but not watch that movie, or vice versa. Story is powerful and does impact, so we need to be careful what we put into our mind and hearts. But reading only morality stories or books labeled as “Christian” isn’t usually healthy either — especially since many seem to turn off their discernment at that point. That is more dangerous than reading the secular with discernment. Rather, I recommend reading with guidelines, built on Scripture and moderated by maturity and personal limitations. But I’m letting my passion run away with me.

Anyway, for the moment, I continue to seek out conferences where I can vendor and speak. At least, I’m now seeking spots to do some speaking, even if only for a 45-minute vendor’s workshop. Not many doors have opened in that arena yet–much less for the all-day seminar on discernment in fictional media that I’d love to do–but I keep looking.

That’s it for today. Coming tomorrow: “Darkness in Fiction: How Dark Is Too Dark?”

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