Books, Blogs, Authors and More discussion

Having spent the last couple days sending out digital copies of my latest book, Eleven Floors, to high schools that might be interested in teaching the novel in their English classes, it occurs to me that my writing might be making people mad. It’s good writing in my opinion, the characters are real, the dialogue is fun, the prose is crisp and vivid, and the story flows well. The reason my book could make people mad is the fact that it is a Christian novel.

I’ve been promoting it for a while on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and various blogs, and the results have been okay but not great, probably because the cover doesn’t show a muscular elf or vampire couple preparing to make love. Unfortunately a near majority of indie book ads are like that, which makes me wonder if I’m ever going to sell any books. At the risk of sounding pompous and “holier than thou,” I write because I care. I want my readers to be inspired, entertained, and to learn something valuable about life and how to truly live, and how to stay alive forever. Eternal life doesn’t have to be a curse like so many vampires and evil elf queens lament it as being, it can be a blessing—it is a blessing for those who strive to walk righteously, who believe in and keep the Word of God.

My apologies to my fellow writers out there who publish supernatural romance, science fiction, and fantasy books. I’m sure some of them are great. We have to remember that while many people read for entertainment, authors have a responsibility to impart wisdom as well, helpful knowledge, through stories that promote life and hope, not foolishness. The world is a dangerous enough place already and our actions have serious consequences. Saint James writes, “Let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” If writing books isn’t a form of teaching, I don’t know what is.

When I set out to write my first fiction book, whenever I sat down to write I’d ask myself, “What do I wish I’d have read when I was a teenager?” and that’s what I wrote. The process involved a lot of headaches, revisions, and prayers, but this amounted to a decent book that can honestly help people. Kurt Vonnegut said writing is the hardest thing in the world, and although I’m unqualified, I agree. I’m just saying we should try a little harder to make ours count.

Not everyone is going to like your book. The best idea is to write it for yourself, your target audience and anyone else who may come along and enjoy it. Don't worry about the content as today's society is touchy on the smallest things. Promote it where you think your audience is and make the most of making connections with readers.

Any fiction or non-fiction work adhering to religious or philosophical themes -Christian, Jewish, Islam, Buddhism or Hinduism - is going to be purchased primarily by readers who adhere to those same principals and themes.

The authors of such works do not insult readers who do not share such beliefs because they are not likely to read those works. So, write about such subject matter about which you are most knowledgeable and with which you are most comfortable.