Literary Fiction

A teenager in a novel-writing group I taught asked, "What is literary fiction?" That's a very good question, and those who've been in the writing field a number of years know the answer, but the definition is harder to put into words. Even dictionaries and writing guides have a difficult time defining it because the term has so many facets.

With literary fiction, the pace is usually slower and the tone can be darker than genre fiction. There is more concern for the style of the writing than is normally the case in other fiction, and style takes precedent over the plot or characters. Literary writers may feel they are the elite or the "purist" among novelists. This is enhanced by the fact they often have the support of some organization, college, or university. Common themes deal with social issues, political implications, or the human condition. Their main goal is not to entertain but to present an agenda or important lesson with quality writing.

The problem is that literary fiction, except in rare cases, is not as widely popular or as sellable as genre fiction. Of course, if a book receives a major award, such as the Nobel Prize for Literature, it becomes very sellable. Some controversy may also bring it to the forefront for a time. But there is an audience for all kinds of literature, and writers should find the niche that will work best for them.

_____________________________

• 
  

National Tell a Story Day

April 27th is National Tell a Story Day. Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of entertainment. It's an ancient practice that predates writing and a way to connect the past to our present. It also fosters imagination and creativity.

There are many festivals across the country and world that emphasize or include storytelling. The International Storytelling Center is in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and an International Storytelling Festival is held there in the fall, usually in October. Since this is the time the fall leaves usually reach their peak color around the Appalachians, it's a great time to visit, and the festival draws large crowds.

The Appalachian Mountain region has long promoted folk tales and produced storytellers. I can remember my mother telling me stories as far back as my memory will go. I think this flowed into a love of books when I started to school and eventually led to a writing career. I don't know how you will celebrate National Tell a Story Day, but I'm always ready to read, write, listen to, or tell a story.

________________________________

Allowing for Change

There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy: who art thou that judgeth another (James 4:12).

People, even Christians, tend to judge others harshly, lock a person into that label, and never change their opinion. Thankfully, God never does that, and he doesn't want us to either. We are commanded to forgive. Branding a person as a certain kind of sinner, and never allowing for change is not forgiving them. We say God changes people, but we often don't act like it, and our job is to love like Christ.

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven (Luke 6:37).

Paul's life is a good example of why we should forgive sinners and allow them to move on. Paul had severely persecuted followers of Christ. Men like him had been the reason many of the early Christians had scattered from Jerusalem to other locations. Paul was a devout Jew and thought the new believers were an affront to God.

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone... (John 8:7b).

Paul and Barnabas

After Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus, Paul became just as zealous for Christ, but the followers feared him and wanted nothing to do with him. If it were not for Barnabas, he might have been locked into the slot of persecutor forever. However, Barnabas stood up for Paul and convinced others to give him a chance (see Acts 9), and what a difference it made for the faith. Often the greatest sinners make the best Christians after they are saved, and fallen Christians become more devout than ever once they have repented. We should all be loving, kind, and forgiving like Jesus.

____________________________

Audible Western Series

https://www.amazon.com/Dust-Storms-Book-3/dp/B0874D1JMW

I am thrilled to announce that the last book in the In from the Storms trilogy is ready on Audible.  Dust Storms is set in West Texas and Wyoming in the 1800s and finishes the series. After Aileas rejects him, Brady Shape leaves Wyoming Territory and wanders to Texas. He gets a job at Double G Ranch and becomes their temporary foreman. However, he never feels comfortable in the job, although he’s determined to catch the cattle rustlers before he leaves. He can’t seem to forget Aileas, either. When he meets Nora Joseph, she needs rescuing from a desperate situation. He’s determined to see her situated before he leaves Sagebrush, but somehow, she talks him into taking her with him. The only place he can think to take her is back to Aileas in Wyoming. However, getting there will take battling dust storms, the storms of their pasts, and storms that loom in the future.

https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Storms-Book-1/dp/B08288PD8X

This third book is narrated by Douglas Birk, the same voice artist that produced Mountain Storms, the first book in the series. I love his expressive voice and his determination to do his best. However, I went with Jennifer Groberg for the second book, Past Storms, since the female main character took up most of the book. She does such a good job that I turn to her first when I need a female narrator.

https://www.amazon.com/Past-Storms-Book-2/dp/B083G4TWN9/

Although each book is a standalone with a definite ending, you'll want to listen to them in order if you plan to hear them all. The main characters in one are secondary characters in the others, and the family's story continues in each one. I'm excited about this western, historical series. There's another five-book western series set in early New Mexico in the works, but it will be over a year before I'm ready to release it. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Dust Storms and the rest of the In from the Storms series as much as I have.

_____________________________

National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

April 20th is National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. My mother usually made one for an Easter dessert, and I have always thought of it as especially good in the springtime. It is one of my favorites any time of the year, however, and it's easy to make. If you want, you can even use a yellow cake mix to speed up and make the process easier. An old Betty Crocker cookbook even recommends this. If you'd prefer to make it from scratch, just use your favorite yellow cake recipe.

Melt 3/4 cup of butter or margarine and pour into a sheet cake pan or two round cake pans. Sprinkle 1/2 cup brown sugar evenly over the mixture. Arrange canned pineapple slices over this. If desired, place a maraschino cherry or pecan half in the center hole of each pineapple slice. Lightly sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar over this. Prepare yellow cake mix according to the directions and pour over pineapple mix. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until done.

The first fruit cakes made like this weren't made with pineapples but with other fruits like apples, cherries, and peaches. However, around 1911, one of James Dole's engineers developed a way to cut pineapples into perfect rings for canning, and the pineapple upside-down cake soon followed. People have been enjoying it ever since. 

_______________________________

Righteousness

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:11).

In his book, Overcoming Gossip, Mark D. Michael writes: "Many people gossip about their brothers and sisters in Christ because they don't understand righteousness. They simply don't understand that righteousness is a gift from God to people. They have a legalistic perspective of righteousness. To them, they are righteous [or not] because of the good deeds they do or the bad deeds that they don't do. But righteousness by the law always leaves us feeling either extremely arrogant or totally discouraged depending on how well we are living or with whom we are comparing ourselves."

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).


I find this statement profound, Christ went to the cross because of our inability to be righteous by the law. His sacrifice and death allowed us to trade our unrighteousness for His righteousness when we accept Him as our Savior. None of us can be good enough to keep all the law or to get ourselves into heaven apart from Christ. 

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:14).

Many know this to be true, but they still don't live their lives like it is. Obedience and righteous living are important, but it should come from our love of God and desire to please him and not from an arrogant pride in ourselves and our ability to be good. Or if the reverse is true, we berate ourselves and feel useless because we realize we continually fail. Live your life under the grace that knowing Christ as your personal Lord and Savior gives. 

_____________________________

Other Considerations

I recently had a listener for one of my audible books complain about the narrator. She said, "The narration I did not enjoy. His character voices were silly and a bit like a couple of kids playing dolls." I don't agree with her, and no one else has complained. In fact, I like his expressive voice, and other listeners have indicated they do, too.

But what most listeners don't realize is that there're other important factors in choosing a narrator. I have some horror stories to tell among the fourteen books I've put on Audible so far. One narrator took over six months to produce a book that shouldn't even have taken six weeks. He did an excellent job, but I thought he was never going to complete it, although I kept encouraging him to do so. Needless to say, I never ask him to record another one.

Then, on a more recent book, I had promised another producer the last book in a series because of his strong audition on the book the reviewer complained about. I was excited about the new narrator, both his audition and his strong communication skills, so I sent him a contract which he accepted. He submitted, and I approved his first fifteen minutes, but then, I didn't hear from him for two weeks. I messaged and asked him for an update, and he blew up as if he were highly offended. After many messages of explanations, he asked if he could withdraw from the project.

Producing an audio-book in this way is a partnership. It's important that the author and the producer be able to work together and develop a trust. It helps to find a good narrator and stick with him or her. That way, you understand each other and know what to expect. There's certainly more to consider than a good voice, although that is important, too.

_______________________________

National Scrabble Day


April 13th is National Scrabble Day. Alfred Butts, an amateur artist, invented the game when he found himself unemployed as an architect during the Depression. He first called the game Lexiko and then Criss-Cross Words. Although he produced a few sets himself, the game never became very popular.

In 1948, however, James Brunot of Connecticut, one of the original owners of Criss-Cross, agreed to pay Butts a royalty on each game sold, renamed the game "Scrabble," and began manufacturing them in an abandoned schoolhouse. Legend has it that their break came in 1952 when the president of Macy's played the game while on vacation and ordered it to sell in his New York store. After that, Brunot was unable to keep up with manufacturing demands and sold the game to Selchow and Righter. Hasbro later ended up with the rights. In the meantime, the game had become so popular it had spread around the world.


Like many authors, teachers, and lifelong learners, I love the game. In fact, surprisingly, I have never been defeated, but friends and family have quit playing me. My stiffest competition came on a cruise ship during a rainstorm against an elderly woman. I won by the skin of my teeth, but I was sweating it for a while. Now, I'm ready to celebrate National Scrabble Day. Anyone up for a game?

_______________________________

No Defense

But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? (Mark 14:61).

When Jesus was arrested and put on trial, He gave no defense. For the most part, he remained silent when questioned. His main purpose in taking human form and coming to earth was to die for the sins of mankind. He knew He must die if we were to have eternal life with Him, and it was the Father's will that he do so. 

Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53).

He had the power to call down legions of angels. He could have spoken a few words and changed anything or everything. Instead, His steadfast, undying love sent him to the cross for us. As Blake Western wrote in Astonished Beyond Measure, "His silence was the silence of majesty. It was the silence of love."

Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life, that I might take it up again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down, and I have the power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father (John 10:17-18).

Blake goes on to say, "The fact is that they did not take the life of Jesus. Jesus gave His life. No army could take His life unless He willed to give it. His silence was not an admission of guilt." "He gave His life in order that we might live.... To avoid the cross is to abandon all hope. The cross is the doorway to life."

_________________________________

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/
B086PYKS7T

From the Top of the Mountain to the Bottom of the Sea

I have just published my second Christian nonfiction book. From the Top of the Mountain to the Bottom of the Sea is about the prophets, Elijah and Jonah and the lessons they teach. (Check it out with the link under the picture, and it's also on Kindle Unlimited.) Although their stories are very different, these prophets also have some remarkable similarities. Both men have left strong legacies of faith, and we can learn from those, as well as from their failures.

I always have both a fiction and nonfiction book at some step in the writing process. However, it takes me much longer to produce a nonfiction because it often takes more research, and I'm extra cautious. I feel I'm called to write both, but I also feel a special responsibility with the nonfiction. Novels actually come easier for me, although I began my publishing career writing magazine articles.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product
/B07HVKHJY9/ref

I also make myself available to teach the lessons from my nonfiction books in a Bible study free of charge. Participants may purchase a book if they'd like, but it isn't necessary. The Bible always serves as the main text. On the Road to Jericho is the other nonfiction I have available now. It contains lessons from Jesus' teachings as He traveled from Galilee through Jericho and into Jerusalem for the last time before the cross. I design the books so they can read straight through, used as a daily devotional, or presented as a Bible study. And as always, all my profits go to a scholarship fund for missionary children. To God be the glory!

_____________________________

National Tartan Day

March 6th is National Tartan Day to honor the strong Scottish heritage in the United States. The Scots came to the American colonies from almost the very beginning and had a strong influence. When the new nation was formed after the Revolutionary War, nine of the thirteen governors were Scots. And of the forty-five U. S. Presidents, thirty-four had Scottish ancestry.

The Scots are noted for their independent spirit and resourcefulness. They fill all walks of life from inventors, doctors, and scientists to writers, artists, and musicians. In the United States today, there are over eleven million people who know they have Scottish roots.

Highlands of Scotland

My husband and I are two of those Americans whose ancestors can be traced back to Scotland. In 2019, we went to Scotland to celebrate our fifteenth anniversary. I grew up in the Appalachians, and it was amazing to see how much parts of the Scottish highlands looked like my mountains back home. I can see why the Scots heavily settled there. And I like the idea of celebrating National Tartan Day.

_____________________________

To Jerusalem for the Last Time

Jesus had been on a journey. He'd traveled from Galilee, taking the longer route through Jericho into Jerusalem for the Passover. He knew this would be His last days, and His teachings are especially important along the way. He met the rich young ruler, healed the blind, told the story of the Prodigal Son, gave the parable of the Good Samaritan, met the little tax collector, Zacchaeus, and taught many other crucial lessons.

Jerusalem

To get from Galilee to Jerusalem via Jericho, a traveler followed the Jordan River. This route was only about 23 miles longer than going through Samaria, but it was much more rugged. It required a steep climb in a hot climate. Jericho lies 812 feet below sea level, while Jerusalem sets 2,600 feet above sea level. This steep elevation change takes place in a sharp, fifteen-mile climb that winds through a barren stretch of cliffs, canyons, rocks, robbers, and wild animals.

When Jesus gets to Jerusalem, the crowd there for the Passover welcome Him with praises and shouting. He rides into the city on a borrowed donkey among shouts of "Hosanna" and a carpet of palm branches. In just a few days, some of these same people will shout, "Crucify Him!" Are we like that too? Is our relationship with Jesus on-again, off-again? Are we fair-weather friends who jump ship when the going gets rough? Thankfully, Jesus is never like that. He's always true and faithful. Let us be the same.

__________________________________

What Type of Books Sells Best?

I have always been told that nonfiction books sell better than fiction, but I haven't found that true. My nonfiction book, On the Road to Jericho, hasn't sold nearly as well as my four top-selling fiction books (Mountain Mishap, When Winter Is Past, Mountain Storms, and Past Storms). Part of the reason may be that I published eleven novels before On the Road to Jericho came out. But as a Christian author, I feel led to write both.

I have another nonfiction book ready to be published in a few days. From the Top of the Mountain to the Bottom of the Sea: Lessons from Elijah and Jonah has been several years in the making because I'm extremely careful to have the content right in the nonfiction books I publish, but I'm very proud of both of these.

I have some ideas for a third Christian nonfiction. I like to keep one going in some stage of the writing process at all times. I would be interested to know what other authors have found about sales when they write both. I know many Christian authors do write both, and I'd love to hear readers' thoughts, too.

________________________________