Rachel Starr Thomson

Many of my writer friends talk about characters who get away from them, running amuck all over the pages doing whatever crazy things come into their heads while their authors scramble to keep up and undo their characters’ messes. I have never been able to relate. My characters mostly do what they’re supposed to. Yes, they influence the direction of the story, but they generally do so before I start writing, not halfway through the book.

Then there’s Maggie. If you’ve read Worlds Unseen, you know that Maggie is soft-spoken, courageous but not bold, gentle and sweet — not at all the sort of girl who goes around wreaking havoc. And yet, when I originally wrote that one scene (in the house, with the wraith and the song), she knocked me for such a loop that I had to stop writing for two days so I could figure out what had just happened.

Well, now I’m writing The Advent, and Maggie features a bit more heavily again than she did in Burning Light. And I like her in this book; I think she’s lovely, and every time she’s in a scene it makes that scene feel more like home to me. (It’s fascinating writing about these characters after so many years — I finished Light in 2002, so it’s been a while.) But the other night I was writing away, trying to finish up my day’s five pages and still get to bed at a decent hour, when she did it again.

Changed everything, if only for a moment.

This time she hasn’t thrown the plot off-kilter, and because she sang in Worlds I understand her better now. But I’m — maybe grateful is the word — to be writing a character with so much life in her.

So here’s to you, my lovely Maggie. You’re making this a marvelous ride.

(If you’d like to read Worlds Unseen, and you haven’t yet, you can download it as a free PDF from this page.)

Apparently fall has arrived! I’ve closed one of my big windows so the wind can’t come at me with quite such frisky abandon. It is COLD out there.

As a writer, I’m really happy to be living in a place with four real seasons. I know some people dream of California, Hawaii, and Florida (and I appreciate those places when I visit them), but I can’t imagine how much inspiration I would lose if I didn’t experience spring and summer, fall and winter so completely. Weather is the atmosphere of life. My feelings on the subject probably explain why it comes into my stories all the time. The seasons matter!

What do you think?

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Becky Miller of the CSFF Blog Tour is heading up the formation of an award to recognize the best in Christian speculative fiction: the Clive Staples Award. The nominations for 2009  are listed here.

Have you read any of the books on the list? Any thoughts pertaining to them, or the existence and growth of Christian spec fic in general?

I nominated Jeffrey Overstreet’s Cyndere’s Midnight, which was profound and beautiful and a great story.

I received an e-mail from Rael, blog and book reader, when she finished reading Worlds Unseen a few days ago. It really encouraged me, so I thought I’d share part of it. If you’d like to read Worlds Unseen, it’s available for purchase or free download here.

Oh my goodness.  When you put Worlds Unseen on your site as a free download, you certainly knew what you were doing.  ;-)  I am so hooked.  Now I need to decide if my budget can handle hard copies of it and Burning Light.  I definitely want these to keep, in tangible papery form!

Thank you for this story!  I am in rather a state of shock (the end-of-an-amazing-read sort of shock), and it might be a while before I can write a coherent review for my blog.  But for the moment, I mainly wanted to thank you for your well-told story of life and death and tears and growing up, of ashes and newness and the bright, starry thread, of monsters and scoundrels and everyday heroes stepping bravely into battle against evil.  Thank you for a picture of worlds unseen, of faith that hopes and believes when the night is dark.  Of a King who is coming.  Oh, I loved it!

To which I say, thank you :). Readers like you are the reason I write and publish.

The Writers Digest  “Business of Publishing” Conference was my first writer’s conference, and I chose it because I hoped it would provide information and encouragement on all fronts of my writing life. It did! It was a great conference with emphasis on the changing face of publishing and the role of New Media in a writer’s career.

Many of the principles discussed were really not new at all; they’re as old as the Bible, but as usual, new contexts make us reexamine them. So without further ado, a biblical recap of significant conference points:

• “All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them,” or as Paul has it, “In honour prefer one another.” Community and social media guru Chris Brogan, author of the bestselling Trust Agents, stressed the importance of giving, not demanding attention; of focusing on others, not on yourself. In “promoting” online, he says, “Don’t talk about your d*n book.” Care about people, serve them, connect with them.
• “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days,” or as Jesus says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you.” April Hamilton (Publetariat.com), Christina Katz (the renowned Writer Mama), and others lived this one by sharing their knowledge so freely. April went through her Indie Author’s Guide in as much detail as possible; Christina helped authors brainstorm their own work in the hallway. April even gave us her e-mail address and a link to her entire book online. Proving that this principle works, I plan to buy it as soon as possible. April also shares many ways for indie writers to make their work available, for free or otherwise. I’m going to do unto April by declining to share those tips here, instead sending you to read her book online and urge you to pick up a copy for yourself. I missed the “Podcasting Your Way to Book Sales” talk by Scott Sigler and Seth Harwood, who landed a book contract by podcasting and giving away their novels for free, but you can listen to the whole thing here. I’ll be listening as soon as I get a chance; it was one of the most talked-about sessions at the conference!
• “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” In today’s world, promotion is about two things: platform and community. Author Jennifer Gilmore urges writers to be “good literary citizens.” Everything you do, say, and write builds your platform — in Proverbial terms, your “good name.” On her “Get Known Before the Book Deal” blog, Christina Katz defines “platform” as follows:

A platform communicates your expertise to others. It includes your Web presence, any public speaking you do, the classes you teach, the media contacts you’ve established, the articles you’ve published, and any other means you currently have for making your name and your future books known to a viable readership.

Basically, your platform is everything you do with your expertise. A platform-strong writer is a writer with influence. Once you establish a platform, it can work for you 24/7, reaching readers even as you sleep. Of course, this kind of reach takes time. If many others already recognize your expertise on a given topic or for a specific audience or both, then you likely have an active platform.

I find it helpful to define a platform as a promise writers make to not only create something to sell (like a book), but also to promote it to the specific readers who will want to purchase it. This takes both time and effort, not to mention considerable focus.

• “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh,” or writeth, in this case. In his closing address, prolific writer and speaker Bill O’Hanlon urged writers to find their energy to write — and to be successful — in the things that drive them deep down, whether that’s the incredible bliss of doing what they love, a desire to change the world, or their own woundedness. He didn’t phrase it this way, but he was talking about writing from the spirit, which the Bible tags as the source of creativity and art.

To sum up, there is nothing new under the sun — authenticity, community, and service to others are still central to anything we do in life, including writing and publishing. There are, however, many excellent tools and opportunities to do these things as we haven’t done them before. I’m looking forward to putting them into practice!

For this month’s CSFF Blog Tour, Donita K. Paul was kind enough to grant me an interview. Although e-mail and spam filters tried hard to sabotage our conversation, we finally connected. I think it was a conversation worth having. I hope you’ll agree!

Rachel: The Vanishing Sculptor was the first of your works I’ve read, and I admit to being a bit surprised at the centrality of humour. Christian fantasy is rare enough; funny Christian fantasy is even rarer. Is humour always a major element in your work? Is this just your natural voice, or do you have a purpose in using it?

Donita: That is my natural voice, but I also play it up because entertainment is a device for reaching people. Laughter is a very important tool. As my cognitive learning specialist friend often says, “A happy brain is a learning brain.”

Rachel: Upon hearing your name, most readers familiar with your work will probably think “Dragons.” Many years ago in Western literature, dragons were typically evil figures. In Scripture, Satan is depicted as a serpent and a dragon. Yet you’re using them as good creatures; using them, in fact, to share the gospel. Do you find there’s a tension between these two depictions of dragons when you write? Do you run into people who object to your use of dragons as symbols of good?

Donita: The dragon in the Bible is a symbol. And symbols are not carved in stone. Symbols are not universal. Symbols can change within context of something new. The red letter A was a symbol for adultery in The Scarlet Letter, but it would be odd, indeed, if every red letter we saw would bring up the connotation of adultery.

In my books, I used the minor dragons to symbolize talents and abilities that God has bestowed upon his children. The major dragons are just characters to interact with the other characters and provide all sorts of fun elements.
I ignore the traditional aspects of dragons in literature, and go for my own rendition.

Yes, I call it wizard backlash when a Christian (who usually has not read anything I’ve written) harangues me over the evil of dragons, wizards, and magic. I used to get upset about it, but don’t take it personally anymore. If they exhibit a teachable spirit, we’ll talk. If they are perfectly happy in their mindset and not willing to engage in a two-way conversation, I leave it to Someone more qualified than myself to deal with their beliefs.

Rachel: The minor dragons were some of the story’s most vivid characters, and I confess they brought back memories of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonsong Trilogy for young adults. Dragons in popular fantasy have been taking on several common characteristics, including coming in different sizes, teaming up with special people (Eragon), and communicating via telepathy. Your dragons do all these things. I’m curious as to what unique aspects you’re building into your dragons–how you’re trying to contribute to this modern mythology, so to speak. What perception of dragons might readers take away from your books that they wouldn’t get anywhere else?

Donita: Well, I mentioned the minor dragons depict talents. My dragons are additional characters. I hope the way I depict relationships and the elements of friendship between any of the characters will cause readers to take care of their own relationships, nurturing them with honesty, loyalty, and self-sacrifice.

Rachel: Why “tumanhofers”? Why not just “dwarves”?

Donita: LOL! Because fairies, dwarves, elves, trolls, ogres, and such come with a lot of baggage. There are centuries of established traditions surrounding the typical fey folk. I knew I was dragging dragons out of this standard folklore and I didn’t think I could get away with dragging all of them away from conventional perceptions. Besides, it is more fun to make up your own.

Rachel: One of my favourite aspects of The Vanishing Sculptor is the obvious fun you have with language — whether it’s in names like “Bealomondore” and “Beccaroon” or the roving, hilarious conversations of characters like Fenworth and Lady Peg. Would you say you enjoy writing more for the sake of the story or for the sake of the language itself? Or is that a nonsense question?

Donita: Story is paramount. I believe literary fiction delves heavily into just how great your sentences roll off the page and into the reader’s mind. To me, literary works point to the author instead of to the reader. A good story resonates with “everyman.” My purpose is to present characters and plot that engage a reader enough to forget me. I want them to identify with the characters as they mature. I want them to struggle with the plot’s twists and turns. In the end, I want the reader to walk away from the experience as I do, with a new understanding of mankind, perhaps a resolution to be better in some area of his or her life, and with renewed hope.

Rachel: Do you have any words of encouragement or advice for aspiring writers, especially those who are at the agent- and publication-seeking stage?

Donita: Go to conferences. Join professional organizations like ACFW. (American Christian Fiction Writers) Network online with people who have the same vision of fiction that you do and some who write in the same genre. Keep growing.

Tipper’s heart skipped a beat . . . “I have a feeling,” she said, “that we are going to have a glorious quest. This day is the beginning of a great adventure.”

So declares Tipper Schope, who gladly gives up the responsibility of caring for her family’s estate when her disappearing father reappears after fifteen years — well, mostly. He keeps flickering in and out, and his crotchety foreign companions declare a quest necessary: a search for three missing statues, sold off by Tipper to provide money for essentials, that must be joined to each other before Tipper’s father can stop coming apart and reassembling on a floorboard. Despite the heavy stakes — not only the life of Tipper’s father, but possibly the fate of the world, rests on the quest’s success — the journey begins with optimism, and it largely continues that way.

In The Vanishing Sculptor, billed as “a fantastic journey of discovery for all ages,” Donita K. Paul has created a lighthearted story in which not even tragedies can be too tragic. The world in which Tipper lives is simplistic (the villains look like villains; beautiful people always turn out to be good, even if they’re annoying at first), but imaginative and joyously visual. Paul’s dragons are delightful, her “grand birds” are endearingly grand, and the ramblings of confused or otherwise disconnected characters like Lady Peg and Wizard Fenworth are a constant source of locutionary entertainment. Thrown into it all is a missionary story, as Tipper’s father tries to share his newfound faith in Wulder with his skeptical daughter and their closest friend, the grand parrot Sir Beccaroon.

In short, The Vanishing Sculptor is a good tonic for stressful days and heavy hearts. It reminded me of some of Lloyd Alexander’s more upbeat adventures (think Vesper Holly, not Taran the Pigkeeper), with warm family ties and friendships, fights that aren’t too frightening, and lessons that go down easily. Though at times I found the prose choppy, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish. In a genre which often relies on heavy themes and gathering darkness, that can’t be said about every book. It’s entirely true of this one.

* * *

NOTE: I’d intended to post an interview with Mrs. Paul today, but it’s not in yet (she’s been rather busy, attending the ACFW Conference and winning an award for Mentor of the Year among other things), so I hope to post it tomorrow. If not, you can expect more ramblings from me of the usual kind on some theme connected to the book :).

This month’s featured CSFF book is The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K. Paul, the Dragon Lady of Christian fiction. Mrs. Paul’s books have made a definite splash, and I’ve been hearing their ripples for years, but this is the first I’ve actually read. It is fun, more than usually so, even for a children’s book . . .

. . . or is it YA? Adult fiction? The heroine is 22, and the cover declares the book a “fantastic journey of discovery for all ages” — yet to me it felt like a children’s book in all the best ways, from the humour to the outright themes of trusting in God. I would love to hear from other bloggers and readers on this. How would you classify this book? How much do age classifications matter, actually?

Enough about that for now. (Except that I hope it’s not enough about that, because I want to read your comments.) Tomorrow I hope to post an interview with Mrs. Paul, addressing important questions like “What’s it like to write about dragons as a Christian?” and “Why ‘tumanhofers’? Why not ‘dwarfs’?” On Wednesday, look for my official review.

In the meantime, check out Donita K. Paul’s Web site, read some of her Dragon Bloggin’, or check out the book on Amazon. And if you’re looking for more, read the posts of these fine CSFF Tour Bloggers:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Rachel Briard
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Linda Gilmore
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen (posting later in the week)
Nissa
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Crista Richey
Cheryl Russell
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Elizabeth Williams
KM Wilsher

(well, from me in New York City, anyway)

Today I’m at the Writer’s Digest Business of Publishing Conference, my very first writer’s conference ever, which I chose because its sessions look at so many things of interest to me both as a writer who wants to be traditionally published and as a writer who self-publishes :). Interesting stuff tonight, with lots of debate over where publishing is going and what a writer’s best options are.

On one thing all are agreed: writers should blog. So here I am, blogging. But only for a short moment, since I want to mark some student papers before I fall, exhausted as only one can be who has been up since 5:00, driven six hours, been introduced to New York City (oh my heavens) and attended Part 1 of a writer’s conference, into bed.

Until next time,
Exhausted (But Blogging) in the Big Apple

Of all the books I’ve edited, this year’s Wayback by Sam Batterman is one of my favourites. In my review of Wayback, I became one of many reviewers to compare Sam’s work to Michael Crichton’s, but this scientific time-travel thriller comes from a Creationist viewpoint.

I like to stop by Sam’s blog once in a while, and was pleased as punch this morning to see how well Wayback is doing. Jill Williamson (author of By Darkness Hid) gave it a four-star review, and there’s a fantastic picture of lots of Waybacks all lined up on a shelf.  (Check out Jill’s three-and-a-half-star review of my own Worlds Unseen here.) Sam also spills the beans on what he’s working on now — including a sequel! I’m so excited!