Operation Grendel Cover Reveal
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Sep 22, 2020
First the very cool cover, another of the great artistic works by Kirk DuoPonce.
2020 Spec Faith Fall Writing Challenge
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Sep 21, 2020
As we have done in the past, Spec Faith will offer a prize for the winner of the 2020 Fall Writing Challenge.
Let’s Talk About Race and Racism. Part 5: Scientific Racism
Travis Perry, Sep 17, 2020
Scientific theories of the Enlightenment, increasingly discriminatory through Darwinism, created racism as we know it.
An Acquittal
Shannon McDermott, Sep 16, 2020
One of the curious facts about art is that even the worst ideas are, very occasionally, right.
Two ‘Adventures in Odyssey’ Stories Secretly Inspired My Book ‘The Pop Culture Parent’
E. Stephen Burnett, Sep 15, 2020
Two cassette stories, “You Gotta Be Wise” and “Isaac the Pure,” helped start my lifelong quest about parenting and popular culture.
From The Writers’ Toolbox: Flawed Characters Can Be Too Flawed
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Sep 14, 2020
The point is simple: to be believable, characters need flaws, but if their flaws overshadow their higher nature, readers may not care enough to continue on the reading journey with them.
Let’s Talk About Race and Racism. Part 4: Racism and White Identity at the Founding of the U.S.A.
Travis Perry, Sep 10, 2020
At the founding of the United States, how was race defined? What did it mean to be “white?”
How Fantastical Stories Explore Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Beyond
E. Stephen Burnett, Sep 8, 2020
Read “deleted scenes” from an early manuscript for The Pop Culture Parent, which had more to say about specifically fantasy fiction!
Let’s Talk About Race and Racism. Part 3: How Slavery Created Early Racism
Travis Perry, Sep 3, 2020
Indentured servanthood of Africans yielded to slavery, slavery was protected by various laws. Laws were justified by racism–that’s the core of the argument of this post.
Speculative Fiction And Contemporary Culture, Part 2
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Aug 31, 2020
How can writers speak into today’s troubled culture, whether dealing with the political divide, racial unrest, dealing with a pandemic, economic concerns, or what have you?
Let’s Talk About Race and Racism. Part 2: Antiquity and Medieval Times
Travis Perry, Aug 27, 2020
So if racism wasn’t around in BIble times, when did it arise in Western cuture? Greece? Rome? Medieval Europe? This post answers these questions.
Past the High Point
Shannon McDermott, Aug 26, 2020
Why can’t a villain finish his redemption arc without finishing himself?
Speculative Fiction And Contemporary Culture
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Aug 24, 2020
Should writers change and speak into the culture through our writing, through our stories?
Do the ‘Little House’ Books and Other Frontier Fictions Now Count as Fantastic Tales?
Allen Brokken, Aug 21, 2020
Like any fantastical story, the classic Little House series has its ancient tomes, “incantations,” and sacred spaces.
Let’s Talk About Race and Racism. Part 1: The Bible
Travis Perry, Aug 20, 2020
Racism in all forms, including in speculative fiction, will be the topic of this series. But let’s start with what the Bible says.
Does the World Really Need Another Amish Vampires in Space? ¡Parece que sÃ!
Travis Perry, Aug 13, 2020
Amish Vampires in Space in Spanish? Sounds crazy and maybe it is–but just as Kerry had reasons for writing this novel, I’ve got reasons for getting it translated into Spanish…
A Critic’s Phrase
Shannon McDermott, Aug 12, 2020
A word kept recurring in the discussion: nostalgic.
Love Transforms the Beloved in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Stories
Elijah David, Aug 11, 2020
This fairy tale famously shows true beauty conquering a beastly form, but the original story worked a little differently.
Don’t Forget The Reviews
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Aug 10, 2020
Good books generally have a LOT of reviews, and the best books have a lot of positive reviews and a high rating.
Fiction Friday: Daniel And The Serpent’s Abyss
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Aug 7, 2020
Daniel and the Sun Sword, Daniel and the Triune Quest, and Daniel and the Serpent’s Abyss are young adult, Christian fantasy novels exploring forgiveness, faith, spiritual warfare, and the reality of divine sonship.
Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone Newest Season Executes like Modern Day Parables
Parker J. Cole, Aug 6, 2020
Season Two of Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone executes well the tradition of multi-layered storytelling. Still, these modern-day stories lack the solution-oriented parables of Christ.
From The Writers’ Toolbox: MICE In Your Story
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Aug 3, 2020
I tend to think that the best stories skillfully weave all the elements together so that the dominant one isn’t overpowering, and the subservient ones aren’t invisible.
Why Can a Book’s Movie Be So Bad? When an Adaptation Goes Astray
Heather M. Elliott, Jul 30, 2020
Why do adaptations of books to movies and other media sometimes fail? It isn’t always because they didn’t follow the book closely enough.
From The Writers’ Toolbox: Developing Fresh Story Concepts
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Jul 27, 2020
Take romance for example. Everyone knows that the traditional plot form of a romance is boy meets girl and they fall in love, but Things happen to keep them apart. In the end, however, they conquer, or their love conquers, and they get together.
Step by Step Into Dystopia
Travis Perry, Jul 23, 2020
Recent personal events remind me that dystopia doesn’t have to come via dictatorship. It can come gradually, step by step…
First-Year Members Praise the 2020 Realm Makers: Pandemic Edition Conference
E. Stephen Burnett, Jul 21, 2020
Hosting a Christian fantasy writers’ conference in virtual space drew in many new members who loved the event.
Introducing The Author: Nathan Lumbatis
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Jul 20, 2020
By occupation, Nathan works with young people. No surprise then that his books are written for that audience.
There and Beowulf Again: Providence and Plot in Tolkien’s Hobbit
Anthony G. Cirilla, Jul 18, 2020
Beowulf is known as a pagan myth, but it was penned by a Christian writer. The Hobbit borrows from Beowulf and shows how Tolkien used mythology to show forth Christian truths.
Realm Makers Announces 2020 Realm Award Winners, Sets Peretti as 2021 Keynote Speaker
E. Stephen Burnett, Jul 17, 2020
NEWS: Learn who won at tonight’s virtual Realm Awards dinner, which recognizes excellence in Christian-made fantastical fiction and cover design.
