I saw this photo and created the following poster for your “edification.”
Prayer is Not a Transaction
Recently I was teaching on Luke 18:1-5 (verses are below) about the parable of the persistent widow and developed some thoughts that might be pertinent for you today. In our world, commerce is based on the idea of a transaction. I give you something (like money) and you give me something in return (like a service or a product). We are immersed in this concept. Give=Get. The world treats prayer in …
The Unintentionally Funny Headline
I came across the following headline in a recent publisher-related newsletter: “Speculative Authors Fight Mental Illness” I thought to myself “I know what they meant by the headline, but could it also be interpreted that authors who write speculative fiction are mentally ill?” There are some who call science fiction and fantasy writers “weird” but this headline …
Fun Fridays – September 30, 2016
Watch this incredible impressionist perform Shakespeare in celebrity voices. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8PGBnNmPgk
The Bestseller Code: Decoded
Last week, to great fanfare, a new book analyzing bestselling books hit the market. In my opinion, The Bestseller Code: The Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel by Jodie Archer and Matthew L. Jockers is intriguing and provocative, but ultimately an exercise in futility. Every author wants a short cut to achieve bestseller success. What if there is an algorithm that, if followed, will produce a …
Fun Fridays – September 23, 2016
For those of you who may not have heard, Karen Ball’s father passed away this past week. She has been providing in-home care for a long time. He was a former pastor and loved the old hymns of the faith. My father passed away four years ago this month. He too loved the old hymns and particularly liked to hear me sing “How Great Thou Art.” The lives of these two fathers are what …
A Call for Entries in the 2017 Edition of The Christian Writers Market Guide
As announced earlier this year, I have taken over the responsibility of publishing The Christian Writers Market Guide. This is a huge undertaking, and I have secured the expertise of Lin Johnson to help compile the information in the next edition. Since it has been almost two years since the last edition, many things have changed. We are reaching out to those who were listed in the last edition to …
The Work of a Cover Designer
We have all heard the phrase “a book is judged by its cover.” And it is true. We all do it. Even when the cover is as small as a postage stamp in an online bookstore. It is the first impression of what’s inside. Rarely will you buy the book after you’ve read it. Instead you make the purchase before reading. What you are buying is the promise of the cover, and the title, and …