“Replication” by Jill Williamson – a Review

Hello friends,

It has been a while since I’ve had the time or a sufficient connection to the internet with which to post something more meaningful. I hope you all had a good holiday! Mine has been quite full to say the very least, and while I know that college starts again on the 17th, I’d swear that classes got out for Christmas only a week ago… Oh well. No matter how short the vacation was, it was still time off, and I’m thankful for it. Just know that when school starts again, I’ll be able to blog more often: it definitely helps when you have a reliable connection to the web. But, the time off has helped me get back some of my personal priorities too, like writing (I’ve made some new leeway in SOTD, but I’ll talk more of that at a later time) and like… sleep. In fact, sleep has become so much a priority that sometimes my parents become aggravated; they ask how a person can spend so much time with their eyes closed, and I tell them it’s to make up for a whole semester of trying desperately to stay awake 24/7. Lol! College takes its toll, my friends. Especially when you fill your class schedule with as much as you can manage. I really need to fix that… :P

But enough chit-chat!

Today I’m writing a review for Jill Williamson’s newest book just recently released through Zondervan, titled “Replication”. I can’t tell you how excited I was to receive an invitation for an ARC. Jill is one of the most respected authors on my long and still growing list of favorite authors, and one of the most anticipated. I haven’t posted a review on her “Blood of Kings” trilogy yet, but I will be posting one sometime this year (when I finish the third book. ;D). Besides that however, who wouldn’t be intrigued by the premise? A main character named Martyr? A farm solely dedicated to cloning humans? What’s not to like? :D

Here’s the blurb so you can read it for yourself:

Martyr – also known as Jason 3:3 – is one of hundreds of clones kept in a remote facility called Jason Farms. Told that he has been created to save humanity, Martyr has just one wish before he is scheduled to “expire” in less than a month. To see sky.


Abby Goyer may have just moved to Alaska, but she has a feeling something strange is going on at the farm where her father works. But even this smart, confident girl could never have imagined what lies beneath a simple barn. Or what would happen when a mysterious boy shows up at her door asking about the stars.


As the reality of the Jason Experiment comes to light, Martyr is caught between two futures – the one for which he was produced, and the one Abby believes God created him to have. Time is running out, and Martyr must decide if a life with Abby is work leaving everything he’s ever known.


Now about the author:

Jill Williamson is a novelist, dreamer, and believer. She grew up in Alaska and loved to read books. In 2010 her first novel, “By Darkness Hid” won the Christy Award. She loves to work with teens, and she gives writing workshops at libraries, schools, camps, and churches. Currently she lives in Oregon with her husband and two children. And of course you can find out more about her, her writing projects, and her books at www.jillwilliamson.com.

Also, a word in edgewise, Jill is simply a really awesome person to hang around. I don’t know her very well, but I was able to meet her once in person and it was such an honor. If first impressions are anything to go by, Jill made a good one. She was kind, fun-loving, and she smiled a lot. And come on! What’s not to love about setting out to meet one of your favorite authors for the first time, and having her greet you wearing a medieval Lord of the Rings style dress. ;)


My thoughts about the book: WARNING: Spoilers ahead.

Replication was not quite what I anticipated… it was much better! When I first started looking into the book, I wasn’t sure what to expect from it. How would the clones be portrayed? Why had they never seen sky? Just what exactly did Abby’s father do? I wondered at first if the book wouldn’t have similar qualities to the movie i-robot (which is, by the way, one of my favorite futuristic films.) My mind predicted clichés in Science Fiction, and I pondered the possibilities.

I shouldn’t have worried… my mind couldn’t have been more wrong.

Replication is all about finding God’s purpose for our life and living out that purpose to the fullest. And what is that purpose exactly? Why, it’s living for Him, of course!

The main character, Martyr, is quite simple upon first glance, but we soon find out that he’s much more complicated than his “creators” ever thought likely. They knew he was smart, but they didn’t expect his ability to mentally think over problems to work so well, nor did they think his endless questioning would actually render useful answers.

Martyr’s one wish to see the sky before he expires is what first compels him to disobey the rules. Now for him, this is hard as he doesn’t like to lie – at all – which is an intriguing quality in Martyr’s character that brought into retrospect several interesting thoughts about the consequences of lying. Martyr is also very naïve, an aspect that has him asking curious (and sometimes almost embarrassing) questions throughout the course of the book. This aspect also has him regret simple sins that most of us in today’s world would overlook entirely or justify. That fact in itself was an eye-opener, but it was written into the book in such a way that it wasn’t overwhelming.

Having lived his whole life without ever seeing the outside world, Martyr’s first glimpse of some things in our world – like the sky, the sun, a moose, a car – all were slightly choppy and vague, pieced together with what little he already knew of the world. This was a most satisfying element in Martyr’s character, and one that isn’t exactly easy to pull off, but Jill managed to do it with grace and believability. It’s like a writer asking themselves, “How would I describe something of this nature to a blind person? Or a person who has never seen it before and has no notion of what it is?” The trouble is always in keeping elements that you yourself find obvious knowledge out of the description, and comparing the experience to things that the character would already know.

Here’s an example from the book so that you can see what I mean. It depicts the first time Martyr get’s a good glimpse at the sky:

The sky stretched overhead like a very high, blue ceiling – a lighter color of blue than the picture of Myrtle Beach, but darker than Rolo’s eyes. The sun hung up in the sky, as well, somehow staying there without falling to the ground. It did not have a smiling face or long beams stretching out on all sides like the pictures Dr. Max had drawn. It was a pale, round ball of brightness. It hurt his eyes to start at the sun, so he studied the clouds instead. They were fluffy and white like the snow. (he had already seen snow at this point.)

I thought Jill managed this part of Martyr’s character very well. It was almost like I was seeing these things for the first time too, as I was reading the book. Notice that the sky was like a ceiling, something Martyr had seen before, and the sun was not like the smiley faced drawing he had been shown in the past. These descriptions kept the experience alive and fresh in my mind to the very end of the book.

Of course, the questions Jill posed in this book were good ones: Are clones actually “people”? If they were “created” (so to speak) by man, then did they actually have a purpose beyond the one given to them by man?

In the book, the character of Abby Goyer certainly believed so. Abby is a Christian, though her father is not. She is the one who befriends Martyr in the outside world. Martyr, curious about anything and everything, asks Abby some simple questions about her faith and God which then turn into more complicated ones. Why does she “pray” over her food? Who is she talking to? And so forth and so on. The most interesting thing about these questions was that they truly played on Abby’s knowledge of her faith. How was she going to explain these simple acts that she had taken for granted all of her life to a person who had never, ever heard of such a thing before? And the hardest part was that Martyr’s questions grew larger and more complicated, until she didn’t have answers for them at all.

This part of the story really got me thinking about how well I know my own faith. I’m a Christian, but just how well do I actually know what that means and entails? Or do I just go through the motions half the time, like Abby did on occasion, doing simple things just because it goes along with my faith? And what exactly is my faith? What does it mean, and why do I believe as I do? These questions should all be simple… I’ve faced them before, as most Christians have at one time or another. But the book started me thinking about them again. And, one of the best parts of the book, in my opinion, was watching Martyr come into his faith. He would do things that seemed so simple and sweet… and sometimes things that even Abby couldn’t understand.


(BIG SPOILER ALERT!)

Like when he gave one of his kidneys to the doctor who had cloned him and was going to kill him for both kidneys. Abby asked why he would do such a thing, and clearly thought that he didn’t have to and really shouldn’t have. After all, Dr. Kane, who was dying slowly of Lupus, had been planning the whole time to kill Martyr for no other reason than he wanted his kidneys. Dr. Kane’s justification was that Martyr was a clone, clearly not a real human, and therefore the act was not really murder at all. But as the story progresses there was no doubt in my mind (as I’m sure there will not be in yours) that Martyr and all of the other clones were most definitely human and that Dr. Kane’s actions would have been murder, whether he thought so or not.

Martyr’s answer to Abby’s question opened Abby’s eyes to a completely new meaning and depth of the faith that she called her own. He said simply, “Because Jesus would have done it.”

Abby’s reply was that Jesus didn’t have the option of giving away his kidney, especially to a criminal man like Dr. Kane.

But then Martyr quoted from the book of Luke: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. And then he tells Abby, “I have done so for Dr. Kane. That was my purpose for him.”

(End spoiler)

Wow. I mean really, WOW. That depth, that understanding of God’s true purpose for us… it’s all written right there in the Bible, but how many of us actually think of that verse’s meaning to the extent that Martyr did? How many of us take God’s word and truth that far?

This book was an eye opener. Not only was it compelling science fiction that kept me turning pages long into the night, but it held truths and perceptions that I had either not thought of before, or that I had let my understanding of them go rusty. This was a book well worth reading.

The one trouble I had with the book (and mind you, it is a very small trouble), was how Martyr killed Dr. Elliot. I know it was a sort of pre-considered self defense, and that both Dr. Elliot and Martyr had a mutual dislike of one another… and I know that Dr. Elliot was just plain cruel, partially for the sake of being cruel… but I saw no remorse in Martyr afterward, and for a boy who would give an evil scientist one of his kidneys because that’s what God would have wanted, this seemed partially uncharacteristic.

However, that was just one small scene. Hardly more than a few paragraphs really. Let it not dissuade you from picking up this most excellent book.

I give this book 4 ½ stars out of 5. It was an epic read, and quite memorable for me. That in itself is something to say, as I have read many books, but only a few hold places on my “memorable” list. ;) This is one of them. It’s fresh, funny in all the right places, serious when it needs to be, and fast paced all through. It’s not like any science fiction book I’ve ever read before, and I’ve read enough to tell. I highly recommend this one.

Good luck, Jill, with your other writing endeavors. I know I look forward to reading future books by you. God bless.

And God bless all of you reading this! Go pick up this book: it is definitely worth it. ^_^

Until next time, my friends, HAPPY WRITING! And reading.

Nichole White

Andrew Peterson in the Peoria IL Area

Well hello again. :)  I don't usually double post in a day, but I have some exciting news.

Andrew Peterson, Christian recording artist and author of the Wingfeather Saga (On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, North! Or Be Eaten, and The Monster in the Hollows) is coming to Central IL this Sunday Evening.  So if any of you will be in the Peoria area, the concert will be held at Springfield Road Baptist Church, and it starts at 5:30pm.

But that's not the best part, friends!!

The best part is that my church's worship team is opening the night, AND I WILL BE SINGING WITH THEM!!!  ^_^  *dances around in happiness and awe*  Yep, I'm totally stoked.  First meeting Andrew Peterson this Sunday, and then a book signing by Brock Eastman in August, all within 45 minutes of my house and all within biking distance of my church. :)  God is so amazing, I'm just in total awe of how he works!!

Actually, it's really interesting because I started reading "North! Or Be Eaten" about a month ago when a friend lent me her copy of the book.  I'd heard of the series, but I couldn't find it in bookstores (for some weird reason) and I'm still a little wary of buying things off the internet.  Of course I love the song "Dancing in the Minefields" that plays on my local Christian Radio station, but I honestly didn't know that the author and the recording artist were the same person until two weeks ago.  Then I downloaded a CD, and fell in love with it (I've been singing the songs from it all week).

The fact that Mr. Peterson has done and been all of these things is totally inspiring for me for several reasons.  One -- I am a christian fantasy writer who wants to touch people with my books, and Two -- I am also a singer/songwriter looking to someday record my art.  Music and writing go hand in hand for me: I can't have one without the other, and I can't choose between them.  I'm studying for degrees in both Music and English because I can't separate my love for both arts; they've just melded together and refuse to be parted.  Some people have told me I should do one or the other, but now I know that I'm truly not alone; there are others out there who have done both and been successful, so why can't I pursuit all three of my "loves" (Music/singing/songwriting, Creative writing/English, and Painting/Drawing) and be successful at all of them?  Seriously, why  not?

Then I find out that Mr. Peterson is coming to Peoria for a concert, and then the worship leader at my church tells me that he wants me to sing with the church band this Sunday evening to open that self same concert.

I'm telling you, GOD IS SO AMAZING. :)  See how He works?  See how awesome He is?  He knows the desires of our hearts; He wants to tell us how much he loves us... and He does it in ways we never saw coming!

I can't wait until Sunday evening!!!!

A Spear + A Head = “Spearhead”

See? I'm not so bad at math after all. :)

Many of you have probably noticed by now, but there's a new buzz circulating among the readers (and writers) of Christian Fantasy and Science Fiction. The "buzz" is called Spearhead, a new Guild put together and run by Bestselling Christian Fiction authors Christopher Hopper, Wayne Thomas Batson, Christopher Miller, and Allen Miller. The Guild's launch was held yesterday, and ever since then, the world of facebook and the Blogosphere have been teeming with writers and readers interested to see where this new publishing method will go – and perhaps how they can get on board. After all, something serious must have happened to pull in these four bestselling authors and have them create a whole new system for publishing. As it states on their website:

"As culture changes, so too must the methods in which authors find their voice and share their words. Words that further move culture to change."

It also states:

"It's about relationships… The reality is audiences don't buy books because of a publisher's name on the spine. They buy books because they've been vetted and accepted by their culture. Readers flock to books they have heard about from their friends, have found an engaging discussion about, or have seen promoted by another trusted author.


Relationships matter immensely in today's socially networked world. By gathering like-minded creators and inventors whose allegiances are bound by willfully aligning themselves with one another, we hope to experiment with new distribution methods that meet our audiences where they are. And then take them further."
 
Ok, I'm definitely intrigued. We've all heard the term "Independent publishing" or "Indie Publishing" for short, but it looks like these four authors have decided to take that term to a whole new level. Instead of venturing out to be independent on their own, they've decided to be "independent" together – something that's never really been done before. At least not to this extent. The Guild will both publish and sell books written by its members, and as Wayne Thomas Batson stated on his blog:


"Every single title published will be professionally edited and proofed, triple checked for content, and adhere to a standard of Biblical quality."


Coming from one of my most trusted Christian author resources, I tend to believe him. And perhaps the best feature of this guild is that a user-friendly rating system will be installed to let readers know the kind of content they can expect to find. Listings, reader reviews, and an interactive forum will allow readers to help other readers find something they'll enjoy reading. If this is done properly and Spearhead is a success, it could blow the Traditional Christian Publishing meme out of the water! 


Every one of the four well-known authors who have founded the Guild, have several titles out branded with traditional publishing company names, and each one of those titles have (in my opinion) sold relatively well. So with the very opening of the Guild, the waters of the Christian Publishing World have become "well stirred".


What does this mean for Christian fiction writers everywhere? Well, it most definitely means that the tides are changing. According to the entry Mr. Batson posted on his blog concerning the Guild's birth:


"Last year, Amazon.com revealed that it had sold more ebooks than paper books for the first time in history…. Suddenly, the tide in the literary bay was sucked out to sea, leaving a muddy bog of barnacle-crusted driftwood and flopping fish…. iPads, Kindles, Nooks, and eReaders of all makes and models began to appear, even in the hands of the most dedicated paper-philes. Authors all over began to realize: "Wait a minute, I'm working my tail off sacrificing myself and my family for a mere pittance. But with eBooks, suddenly I can earn something much more reasonable? Hmmm…"


Well said, Sir Batson, well said. As a rather dedicated "paper-phile" myself and as an aspiring author, I couldn't have explained the phenomenon in better words.


For years I've explored the option of Independent Publishing and ePublishing vs. Traditional Publishing. At long last I finally came to the conclusion that Traditional Publishing was the way to start out in the literary world. And perhaps it still is. It's certainly a valid way to be included in many groups and bookstores that otherwise wouldn't take a second glance at an independently published book. Besides that, all four of the founders of Spearhead were traditionally published to start with before they made the decision to switch. However, perhaps what this amazing change in the wind is really saying is that once published traditionally, authors need not remain so. 


The question that I believe most Christian readers are asking is, "But if a book isn't published through a company I trust, then how will I know that it's 'safe' for me to read? Especially if I've never even heard the author's name before?" I think many Christian authors ask a similar question: "If I'm not published traditionally, then how will Christian readers know that my book is safe to read?"


It all comes down to branding. Readers trust brands that they know, or that they've researched. And it's the issue of branding that has bogged down the minds of Christian fiction writers (and writers of other genres) for years and years and years. Its hard work to become traditionally published and earn that honored brand, but its triply hard work to become known by publishing independently without the brand or a publisher's word to vouch for you. Just because the statistics show that more ebooks were sold in one year than paper books, doesn't mean that the ebooks sold were from independent authors; there are many traditional companies out there who sell ebooks as well as paper books, and they do so efficiently. If a reader were looking for Christian ebooks and they came across a few "independently published" titles, how would they know that those titles were trustworthy? 


Well, Spearhead is ready for those types of questions. As Mr. Batson also stated on his blog: 


"Spearhead is a Professional Writers' Guild… We are creating a brand, a seal of trust. When you go looking for books, we want you to have a landing pad, a place to start. Four authors now, but many more to come."


In light of that last statement, I have a question of my own: Who is going to join Spearhead next?


The major difference between Spearhead and a Traditional Publisher is that Spearhead is a community. It is a group of authors who work together to put out the best product that they can. Much like a Traditional Publisher, they don't undermine the value of branding, but they also appreciate the trust of their readers to a larger degree than I believe most Traditional Publishers do. From the looks of what I've read so far, Spearhead will strive to put quality and values before profit, and they plan to take their work to the nations.


Taking all of these aspects of Christian publishing into account, along with the shared values, morals, and advice of trusted Christian authors, and the knowledge and respect due to the hard work involved, I just have a couple of questions left: What does the Guild look for in an author, and how might another author join? Because in all reality, those shared values and morals are the values and morals that I prize so highly in the books I read, and that I strive to include in my own writings. Knowing that, you can bet I'll be looking for a way to join the Guild sometime in the future.

A Finished Project: Map for "Offspring" by Scott Appleton

Well, it's finally finished!  And actually, it's been finished for a little while now, but at long last I have time to post about it.  Some of you may know the exciting news already, and for those of you who don't, I will tell you about it right now. :)

I was commissioned to do the map that will be featured in author Scott Appleton's new book "Offspring" coming out in July.  Yay! *does a happy dance*  Here it is.  Click to view a close-up.

In April I was lucky enough to meet Scott when he came to the central IL area for a book signing event and the Homeschooler's Convention in Peoria.  It was an amazing experience for me, and I loved meeting him and his wonderful family.  His wife, Kelley, is an wonderfully sweet person and his son Andrew is the cutest little thing!  And the best part of all was that they love God with everything they are.

As he was out here, Scott and I started talking about fantasy and books and writing, and the conversation eventually swung around to fantasy maps.  At that time I was (unknown to him) researching and experimenting with a few different mapping techniques, but I didn't show him what I was working on right then because it wasn't finished yet and... well, I'm just funny that way.  After he left and I finally did finish the practice piece I was working on (a map for my WIP "Eldrei"), I sent the file to him and he emailed me back asking if I would like to do the map for his book.

Of course I said "yes".  How exciting!  My first commissioned piece and it was going in the book of one of my favorite authors!  I had to do some other research before hand, mostly concerning price and rights and so forth... Art, I know about, but commissioned art was a whole new monster to me and I didn't want to tackle it without knowing what I needed to.  After we settled on what we both felt was a reasonable price, I started on the map and boy was it exciting!

In the program that I use for my art, I have many differen't types of brushes to help me with my art... including map brushes of mountains and trees and so forth and so on.  I experimented with these brushes when I was making the practice map for Eldrei, and I found most of the brushes on Deviant Art for free (with credit to the brush-artist).  For Scott's map I started by using these brushes, then later switched them out with brushes I created just the map.  I studied the brushes I had, and studied other fantasy maps as well, and finally came up with a look that I liked.  When I had the symbols I wanted to use, that's when I started working on the shading.  In my practice map I hadn't used any shading, but I liked how it made the images in Scott's map "pop out" and come alive.

I would like to post more about the process of making the map... sort of make a tutorial or an info-dump on the subject, but I don't think I really have enough content for that.  For me, making the map was like painting a picture... there are, of course, technicalities to be aware of in the process, but it is more of a "feeling" thing than it is technical.  You just work on it until it looks and feels finished, and then it is.  Perhaps one of these days I'll post a brush pack for you GIMP users out there, but I don't have it ready yet. <_<

This map is currently featured at Scott's main website here: http://www.wix.com/scottappleton/sword-of-the-dragon

And here are Scott's other Websites for "Offspring" and his other books, as well as his Publishing Company "Flaming Pen Press".

http://www.theswordofthedragon.com/novels.html
http://www.flamingpen.blogspot.com/
http://www.wix.com/scottappleton/flamingpenpress

TODAY IS THE DAY!!!

Well, it's here people!  At long last, and I'm so excited!

Today Scott Appleton, author of the books "Swords of the Six" and "By Sword, By Right" and owner of the publishing company "Flaming Pen Press" will be in Peoria Illinois this evening 5pm -8pm at Berean Bookstore just off Sheridan Road to sign books and meet with fans.

And hopefully meet new fans.  ;)  I've been spreading the word like crazy, reminding friends and other people over and over again.  I've been posting posters, telling classmates and teachers, and updating my Facebook. Even my mother has jumped in, braved the dangerous waters of FB, and has been posting reminders and updates.  She's also posting all over our APACHE group's page, and has been contacting homeschooling families in our Co-op.

If anyone out there following this blog lives anywhere near Peoria Illinois, you should come by tonight.  This promises to be an epic event!

Mr. Appleton will also have a booth set up at the Central Illinois Home Schooler's Apache Convention, held tomorrow and Saturday (April 15th and 16th) at the Peoria Civic Center.  He will be selling books, signing books, and meeting with fans during the convention, so if any of you home schoolers out there have families that attend the convention, be sure to check out his booth!

I can hardly wait for this evening!  And tomorrow.  And Saturday for that matter.  :D

I have also reviewed Mr. Appleton's book here on The Pen and Parchment, and he was kind enough to allow me to interview him here as well.

You can read my review of his book here:

http://theravenquill.blogspot.com/2010/09/book-review-sword-of-six-by-scott.html

And you can read the interview here:

http://theravenquill.blogspot.com/2011/02/self-publishing-vs-traditional.html


Hope to see some of you there!


Nichole

Happy Belated Blogaversary!!!

Woa... I just realized that my 1rst  year blogaversary was April 1rst.  And it's already April 6th.  Yep.  I'm out of it. O_o 

But hey; happy blogaversary to the Pen and Parchment, I guess.  :D  It's neat to think that it's already been a year.  Where on earth did a whole year disappear to?  It snuck away when I wasn't looking and I'll never be able to get it back... how tragic.  Or exciting.  Depends on how you look at it. ;)

And looking back, I'm happy to announce that I met some of the goals I laid down in my full profile. Even took a step beyond them.  One of my goals was to get my manuscript, Song of the Daystar, on an editor's desk before Christmas.

Well, that happened.

And not only did it happen, but now I've decided to announce the other exciting news that I've been holding off on since the beginning of March: the publisher contacted me again with a revision request and an invitation to resubmit. 

I said before that I wouldn't name the publisher until I heard back from him: well, now that I've heard back from him, I will tell you the company's name. 

Flaming Pen Press.

Yep!  Me excited!

Now, nothing is certain yet.  I started rewriting the manuscript before I'd heard back from Mr. Appleton.  However, when I explained this to him, he kindly invited me to send him the first 20 pages of the rewrite.  A few days later he contacted me through email saying that he really liked the direction the new version was going, and told me to go ahead and finish the rewrite, then resubmit the manuscript when I'm finished.  (If you head on over to the "Read an Excerpt" page, you can read the new blurb and the new first chapter of the rewrite.)

I refuse to count my chickens before they hatch... but it's hard not to feel a little giddy. :)  I really don't want to assume too much, or get my hopes too high before I know anything for certain; it all feels a bit sureal and I've got a long way to go before I know for sure if Mr. Appleton's company will actually decide to publish SOTD.  I guess I will leave it up to God; He's knows what He's doing.  I just need to sit back and enjoy the ride... and continue writing. :D

Speaking of which, this blog post was originally going to be called "In the Slum" which is where I've been for the past couple of weeks.  The Writer's Slum, that is.  It's not a very fun place to be.  But I just wanted to send a shout out to Mr. Wayne Thomas Batson and thank him for his awesome books: I'm almost half way through reading Sword in the Stars, Mr. Batson's latest epic achievement, and I find it very inspiring.  The world in SITS is slightly reminiscent of J.R.R. Tolkien's world, Middle Earth - complete with histories, languages, different races, etc... - and yet it is completely different.  Reading through the book, it keeps reviving old ideas I had thought near death, and suddenly I understood how I could continue my story!

So thank you, Mr. Batson.

I think I shall go write now.  :D

My Day Feels Untitled...

Hello peoples! *waves happily as proof that she's not actually dead in the blogging world*


As most of you have probably noticed, I haven't been posting anything for a good long time.  In fact, the last time I wrote anything for my blog was... let's see... *flips through blog date ledger*... March 25th.  So ten days ago. I think that's definitely long enough.  O_o  Oh, and I haven't commented on anyone else's blog in such a long time that I can't even remember exactly how long it has been.  But please don't feel like I don't love you because of it... believe me, I still read other blogs... I just never get around to posting comments anymore.  Must try to remedy this; perhaps it will get better after school gets out in a another month. :)


I wish I could say, "Don't blame me for my lack of time.  It's the nasty school's fault!  It wasn't my idea for all of my teachers to insist that homework is more important than blogging!"  But the fact is that homework is, indeed, much more important than blogging.  As is writing, which still hasn't been coming very easy for me lately... (I'm trying hard not to feel discouraged).


So Homework.  And I've just been negligent.


If there is one thing I'm most certainly good at, it's procrastinating.  It seems like my favorite pass-time.  Thus, when I sat down to do homework last night, I ended up in my word program trying to work on the rewrite of my novel... and when I found I was stuck, I ended up pulling out one of the books from my "not read yet" pile and reading the whole thing in one sitting.


Which leads me to the real reason for this post.  I've decided to review the book I read last night. :D  I actually have a list of other books that should be reviewed first, but I figured they could wait.  (just like my homework... for now. *wince*)

So the book I read last night was called The Shifter and it is the first book in the Healing Wars series by Janice Hardy.


15-year-old Nya and her younger sister, Tali, who were orphaned during the recent war that nearly destroyed their city, both have the gift of healing. Unlike Tali, though, Nya can't harmlessly shift the pain she takes from the sick and wounded into enchanted pynvium metal. Instead, she must shift it from person to person, a dangerous talent that she keeps hidden from the ruling Baseeri and from the Healer's League where Tali is an apprentice. Scrounging to make ends meet, Nya resorts to odd jobs and the occasional theft to stay alive. When a young soldier discovers her secret and implores her to save his dying father, Nya is forced to choose between protecting herself and acknowledging her ability to save others and perhaps her entire city.


My thoughts: I really enjoyed reading this book.  Really, I did.  I picked it up and simply could not put it down... which is why I stayed up until I finished reading the very last page at 4:30 in the morning.  


The action of this book was fast paced and it felt real.  I thought the character of Nya was well written (even though it seemed like her inner conflicting thoughts were always rather similar... family, or friends, or self; however, this was relevant to the story, so I really don't have anything else to pick at.)


I absolutely love the thought put behind the magical abilities and qualities of Nya's world.  It's almost familiar... but so different that it's exotic.  Much like the rest of the book: the whole thing was exotic.  Some of the scenes where Nya was running from one building to the next - one part of the city to the next - reminded me vaguely of Tamora Pierce's books set in the land of Tortall... and I absolutely ADORE Tamora Pierce's books (though, as a warning to some of the younger Christian readers on this site, Mrs. Pierce's books usually do have some slightly  more mature content in them... she never goes "all the way", but there are some slightly edgy moments that I've skipped over in the past.)


What threw me for a loop at first while reading The Shifter is the fact that the setting is more exotic than I'm used to reading about in fantasy books.  When I hear the word "Forest", I think of soft green light and trees I'm familiar with... like Oak, Ash, Maple, Dogwood and so on... It took me a few chapters to get used to the fact that the forests in this book were more muggy and marshy rain forests with monkey's flying through the branches and colorful birds flitting here and there, than they were the forests of Illinois or Michigan.  I guess one might say it was a fresh setting... one reminiscent of the setting in Arabian Nights (which I think could be used more often). 


I give this book a 4 1/2 stars out of 5.  All together, it really was an amazing read, and I can't wait to get my hands on the second book in the series, Blue Fire, now in bookstores.  Right now the third book in the series, Darkfall, is being prepared for publication.  


To learn more about Mrs. Hardy and her books, you can visit her blog at http://blog.janicehardy.com

The News of the Week :D

Well, this is long overdue, but I've finally decided to share some good news with all of my bloggy friends out there. :D

Mr. Scott Appleton, founder and owner of Flaming Pen Press, and author of the book "Swords of the Six" will be coming to the Peoria Illinios area April 14th, 15th, and 16th. :D

Thursday, April 14th Mr. Appleton will be signing books at Hoerr's Berean Bookstore on Sheridan Road from 5:00pm to 8:00pm.  He will also be attending the Apache Home School Convention taking place on Friday, April 15th, and Saturday, April 16th at the Peoria Civic Center.

I hope that some of you will be able to attend. :D  I don't know how many of my followers actually live in Illinios, but I am certainly looking forward to meeting Mr. Appleton in person.  I will be posting updates in the future and will definitely blog about the event when it is over.

Hope to see some of you there!!! ^_^

The God Hater: CSFF blog tour

Well, it' the second day in the blog tour already.  I promised myself that this time I would hit all three days, but *shrug* guess you can't win them all.  Anyway, I finished reading "The God Hater" several weeks ago and was I ever impressed!  When I first heard of the book, I wasn't sure if I should even try to read it: I mean, take a look at that title... should a Christian really read a book that is about someone who hated God?  But then I read the synopsis... and since I have proved several times over that I am no good at summing up this book in front of my friends, I'm just going to give you the synopsis I read. :D

A cranky, atheist philosophy professor loves to shred incoming freshmen of their faith. He is chosen by a group of scientists to create a philosophy for a computer-generated world exactly like ours.
 
Much to his frustration every model introduced from Darwinism, to Existentialism, to Eastern beliefs fails. The only way to preserve the computer world is to introduce laws from outside their system through a Law Giver. Of course this goes against everything he believes and he hates it. But even this doesn't completely work because the citizens of that world become legalists and completely miss the spirit behind the Law.
 
The only way to save them is to create a computer character like himself to personally explain it. He does. So now there are two of him—the one in our world and the one in the computer world.
 
Unfortunately, a rival has introduced a virus into the computer world. Things grow worse until the professor in that computer world sees the only way to save his world is to personally absorb the virus and the penalty for breaking the Law. Of course it's clear to all, including our real world professor, that this act of selfless love has become a complete reenactment of the Gospel. It is the only possible choice to save the computer world and, as he finally understands, our own.

Now if that doesn't pique your interests, I'm not sure what will.  It sure grabbed hold of mine, and refused to let them go!

Pros:

This book was well written with a very believable storyline.  The message was very good, and noticeable, but never preachy.  Instead of the message being like someone in your face telling you what's right and what's wrong, and why you should be a certain way, Bill Myers actually wrote the message so that it came through by the character discovering the truth behind God's sacrifice for himself.  To me, this felt unique.  I mean, it's hard to write something and put a message into a book like this so subtly that each time the message surfaces while reading it, it's like a new revelation all on its own.  I was impressed.

Besides this, however, the book had a solid plot and kept me engaged the entire time.  I had a hard time putting it down.  It also had a good balance between action plot, theology, and philosophy... all interesting subjects. Nicholas, the MC, is a Philosophy professor and what I found most interesting was that much of his outlook on the religion in general made a strange kind of sense... it was both interesting and terrifying because it made me realize just how easy it is for some people to ignore Christ on the pretenses built up by their own minds, how easy it is even for todays Christians to steal themselves against God's truths if they really really wanted to.  It made me, as a Christian, realize that I have to build myself up in Christ with his word and with prayer if I want to stay true to him and not fall to the lies of the world, even though they seem to make sense.

Cons:

Actually, I didn't have any problems with this book whatsoever.  I had a friend tell me that she wasn't quite satisfied with the ending, but for me the ending work just perfectly... actually sent chills down my spine, but in a good way.  

With all that said, this is my verdict: 

Great message; Great book.  I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone... seriously.  If you haven't read it yet, READ IT.  You won't regret it.  5 out of 5 stars.

Red Bissell 

Thomas Clayton Booher 

Book Reviews By Molly 

Keanan Brand 

Kathy Brasby 

Rachel Briard  

Beckie Burnham 

Morgan L. Busse 

Melissa Carswell 

Carol Bruce Collett  

Valerie Comer 

Karri Compton 

CSFF Blog Tour 

Janey DeMeo 

April Erwin 

Amber French 

Andrea Graham 

Tori Greene 

Katie Hart 

Ryan Heart 

Bruce Hennigan 

Joleen Howell 

Becky Jesse 

Cris Jesse 

Becca Johnson 

Jason Joyner 

Carol Keen 

Emily LaVigne 

Shannon McDermott 

Matt Mikalatos 

Mirtika 

John W. Otte 

Sarah Sawyer 

Chawna Schroeder 

Andrea Schultz 

Tammy Shelnut 

Kathleen Smith 

Donna Swanson 

Jessica Thomas 

Steve Trower 

Fred Warren 

Dona Watson 

Nichole White 

Dave Wilson

Self Publishing VS. Traditional Publishing: Interview with Scott Appleton

Today please welcome Scott Appleton, author of The Sword of the Dragon series and owner of Flaming Pen Press.  Scott, thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview!  

NW:    First and foremost, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?

SA:  I was homeschooled by my parents. They chose to do that for religious reasons, wanting to keep me out of the secular public school system and the peer pressure that inhibits so many young peoples’ chances of success. I always loved to read and write. I told stories and wrote them down for my siblings. The wilder the tale, the more imaginative—or crazy—the more they loved it. I read a lot of history books, more than fiction, and never fantasy. When I was 18, I started putting together a fantasy story. I found it was the greatest outlet for my creativity. Since then I have spent six years pursuing a contract with a large Christian publishing house. I ended up self-publishing my first novel, but I built my own publishing company to do so. I hired a pro fiction editor, cover designer, artists, etc. and produced a product that sold 3,000-copies in one year. My wife and I traveled to 13 states, I spoke to thousands of students, and attracted the attention of AMG Publishers. Last year I signed a three-book-contract with AMG for my series The Sword of the Dragon. Book one is coming out mid-February, book two will release on July 15, 2011.

NW:  How did reading effect your childhood and then your life on into adulthood?

SA:  I read, and always have read, a large number of books. But the vast majority are non-fiction. I find non-fiction roots me in reality and makes me aspire to follow the heroes and successes down through history. I’m a collector of antique books, particularly volumes from the mid-1800’s. It is amazing how history has been muddled by the modern author trying to be politically correct. The old history books are untainted and provide me with hours of reading pleasure and education on facts that have been lost to modern society.

NW:  Did you always love to write, or was that something that you grew to love over the course of time?

SA:  I always loved both. I filled pages with stories, followed my mother to every library sale… I owned over a thousand of my own books by my twelfth birthday.

NW:  Wow... that's a really impressive amount of books!  So what is the writing process like for you?  I guess what I’m really asking here is, how do you get into that writing “groove”?

SA:  I generally sit at my laptop, put on my headphones, and listen to some epic soundtracks. The music helps me focus, zone out, and generally keeps my attention on the story so that if someone walks into the room I can work on, undistracted.

NW:  Tell us a little bit about your book Swords of the Six, and the new one coming out this year, Offspring.

 

SA:  Swords of the Six is a prelude novel, setting the stage for the big events in the Sword of the Dragon series. The story begins when a dragon prophet is betrayed by his choice warriors. He takes the traitors’ swords and gives them to human daughters, whom he hatches from eggs. The sisters set out to find the first traitor who escaped justice, with an offer of pardon from the dragon.

In Offspring The offspring of the dragon, born out of ultimate sacrifice, grows into a young woman. Unknown to those around her, the beloved warrior, Specter, keeps guard over her. But the enemy has grown strong and draws near to destroy the hope she symbolizes.

NW:  I know that Specter was my favorite character in SOTS.  I'll look forward to reading more about him in Offspring.  So what is the main story behind your entire book series, Sword of the Dragon?  I mean, SOTS is really good, and I’m sure Offspring will be even better… but what really ties all of the books together?

SA:  That is a tricky question, not because the story thread isn’t apparent to me, but because there are elements in each book that gradually reveal the mystery as it unfolds. The series’ story arc is the dragon’s plan to bring Letrias to justice for his betrayal and his crimes. Letrias has grown powerful as a wizard unto himself, and among those who work to deliver his downfall is the captain he once thought dead. The dragon prophet has been prohibited by God from directly dealing with Letrias, so he sets events in motion to accomplish that end by means of his agents.

NW:  I’m excited to hear that your book Sword of the Six will now be published through AMG.  You must be totally stoked!  As an author, how do you feel about this big step in publishing?

SA:  I am totally stoked! This is a dream come true, quite fully and literally. Signing with AMG gives my books greater clout in the publishing world, including more opportunities to sell in venues previously unavailable to me, such as wholesale stores. It also means that I can focus on selling, doing the leg work, while someone else deals with the tedious financial end of things.

NW:  Scott, you are a writer in a very unique position; not many people can rise up to take their book and themselves from relatively “unknown” to “known” by publishing the book themselves.  Still fewer dare make the decision to create their own company in the process.  Can you tell us what that process was like for you?  How did you make that decision?

SA:  I was working back and forth with AMG a few years ago. At the time, Dan Penwell was their acquisitions editor. He believed in my book and in me. Although he pushed for them to publish it, things fell through. But during the entire process I had been reading up on all aspects of publishing. I learned that six out of ten novels never sell over a thousand copies, and that when a book does sell past a thousand it can catch a publisher’s eye. I was an experienced salesman and had worked in retail for several years. I felt confident publishing my book was what God wanted me to do and that if I worked hard and persevered, He would reward my efforts.

I don’t believe there are many chance successes. I believe if you want to be successful you have to step out and do it, and close yourself off from anyone who discourages you.

My wife and I toured 13 states, selling many books at schools. It was by hitting the road that I saw real success.

Failure in this was never an option for me, so I had to make it a success.

NW:  It sounds like you really knew what you were doing; I mean, selling 3,000 copies is intimidating... even more so when you've sold that many books in one year!

So I know you’ve recently published through Flaming Pen Press an anthology of some of your short stories.  I’m sure you have ideas for future novels too; novels that aren’t part of The Sword of the Dragon series.  Looking at your past accomplishments, would you plan to publish such future novels through Flaming Pen Press first, or would you try to go straight to the bigger houses?

SA:  There are many other projects on my table. I plan to do most of my books through other publishing houses, mostly because it would be a challenge and very satisfying. I am presently working on a science-fiction political thriller that I may or may not publish myself. One of the chief factors in this consideration is I want stellar artwork, which many publishers are unwilling to look into. But I also have a YA fantasy trilogy titled Earth Passage, and I will shop that to a larger publisher.

NW:  How do you know when your writing is good enough for you to publish it on your own without a publisher’s help?

SA:  I don’t. For Swords of the Six I relied on peer criticism (authors published by large houses) and the professional fiction editor, Rebecca Miller (she worked on Bryan Davis’s series Dragons In Our Midst). As to my anthology By Sword By Right, many of the stories contained in that collection had already been published by magazines, and the rest fit into the book’s intended purpose: to show the reader my progression as a writer.

NW:   What do you consider the benefit of self publishing in a world where many people look down on such authors and consider them “half-baked” even when they are not?

SA:  The benefit of self-publishing? If an author has truly studied the market, sought professional advice, and read up on the details of publishing, they can produce an effective product and market it to their target audience with greater profit on each book sold than they would by going with a large publishing house.

However, I know of no one else who has gone about publishing their book in the manner I did. Unfortunately most authors go into self-publishing blind, and as a last resort or desperate, frustrated move. And most authors get sucked into the Print-On-Demand service providers (believing those places to be publishers, even though they are not).

NW:    How do you think Self Publishing and e-publishing effect the traditional market for Christian Speculative Fiction?

SA:  That’s a hard and long question. I’m not sure how to answer this except to say that e-publishing is an exciting venue. It can be very lucrative for the author. The market is swamped with Print On Demand authors of this genre, however few of them stand out because they have not truly researched. Patience is the key to success in this career; patience and who you make connections with.

NW:   Is there anything you did while publishing your books that you regret?

SA:  No, not that I can think of. I am a very deliberate person. I researched my options and then made my selections. The product I produced is beautiful, even enviable.

NW:   Is there anything you did while publishing your books that you ended up being proud of or surprised by?

SA:   I was surprised by the audience I attracted. I had not expected so many middle schoolers to go crazy over my first novel. That age group is still my most loyal following.

And I was very proud of the re-written prelude to my novel. The editor suggestion I make alterations but instead I revamped it. It is the first piece of writing that people think of when they talk of Swords of the Six.

NW:   Cool!  I enjoyed reading your prelude the first time, but now I want to know how you rewrote it.  The one I read was definitely exciting: it really makes the entire book.

Is there anything you feel able to talk about that you are planning to do in the future to further your books in the publishing market?

SA:   I am going to push my books in the wholesale clubs and hopefully in Walmart and Target. I am good at selling my product. All I need is a line of customers and those stores offer that opportunity… but first I have to get the In with them.

NW:   What is your outlook on social networking and blogging in furthering the market for your books?  How does it affect your following?  If you could start from the very beginning again, would you do anything differently than you are now?

SA:  Online marketing is tricky for me. I have found it too easy to spend too much time online, and my writing suffers as a result. On the other hand, most of my fans keep in touch online and I love the interaction. If I started from the beginning again I probably would have started with a professional website. I have one now at www.theSwordoftheDragon.com and it has proved invaluable.

NW:   I've looked at your site.  It really is well done.  I can't seem to get the hang of website-building myself... but maybe someday.  It's one of those things that take practice. :)

Right now I feel like the publishing world is precariously teetering between digital and Pod publishing, and the traditional venues.  Which way do you think the dice will fall?  Why?

SA:   All three will survive. Each serves a different purpose, meets a different need. POD answers the need for niche books, but the cost per unit is too high for selling thousands of copies. Traditional venues are shifting, but not going away. I think chain bookstores will gradually give way to the large retail stores that sell books. People will be going into Walmart and Target more often, where they can buy the books at a similar price to Amazon. Last year several hundred bookstores closed, nationwide. But folks still want to feel the book in their hand, not simply look at it online.

Digital publishing is a great opportunity to put books in the hands of more readers. But book lovers everywhere will continue to buy the print book as well as their Kindle copy (I have seen this evidenced in the sales of my books; never has the Kindle sales hurt the physical sales).

In closing, I don’t think the market is teetering. We are looking at a decade of new gizmos; gadgets that the consumer wants in order to keep up with the Jones’s. Some of these fads will fade, but physical books will remain. After all, I don’t think we can deny that if everything we did required batteries we would soon tire of it. The digital books are part of our fast-paced world; a hurried world that many readers are trying to escape when they pick up a book.

NW:    I can agree with you there.  

What are some of the biggest differences you can mark between Flaming Pen Press and other houses?

SA:   We deal with YA fantasy fiction, primarily. The most similar house to ours would be Marcher Lord Press, but they don’t look at YA. But unlike Marcher Lord Press, we put some of our titles into stores. We are unique.

NW:    What are some of the differences between self publishing through your own company and publishing through AMG that have affected you the most?

SA:   I feel freed up to write, which is awesome. I’ve been too busy with the business side of publishing; writing is my passion.

  

NW:    Flaming Pen Press released the book Kestrel’s Midnight Song last year which, if I understand correctly, was nominated for and awarded a Children’s Moonbeam award.  I am personally in awe of Jacob Parker’s ability to write a novel and get it noticed at such a young age.  And the story itself is amazing too.  Can you tell us what made you, as a publisher, take a second look at this book and decide to publish it?

SA:   I read the prelude on his blog and was impressed. He was web-savvy and understood the commitment needed to market the book. I found his manuscript spiritually compelling. The rest was history, as Jacob would say. He has now sold over 2,000 books, phenomenal!

NW:    It is indeed!


Tell us a little bit about the story of Kestrel’s Midnight Song (as I’m sure many readers out there have not read it yet.)

SA:   This would be better to direct at the author. I’m sure he’d be thrilled to do an interview here, too (-:

NW:   I'll be sure to ask him!  


As a Publisher, Editor, and Reader, what is your company looking for in a manuscript and author?

SA:   Originality is the first and primary key to success with me. I don’t like knock-offs. Don’t send me anything with elves in it, or tell me it’s the next Harry Potter. I look for a teachable author, or one that has educated themselves on the industry. It is very important that they be inventive and aggressive in their marketing, as FPP is a small company.

NW:    As an author who saw a literary need, and then created your own publishing company to fill said need, what would you tell others who might consider taking on such an endeavor as starting their own company to fill a niche market?

SA:   Research, research, research. Don’t wing it, educate yourself so that you know what you’re getting into. There are plenty of surprises along the way without adding a lack of knowledge to your worries.

NW:    What would you tell young authors out there who are considering self publishing?

SA:   Don’t jump into it. Do your homework. And don’t publish your manuscript: get it professionally critiqued and edited by a known fiction editor. Spend the money required to get it done right; first impressions are everything.

NW:     Is there anything else you would like to say to other readers and writers out there?

SA:   Check out my books and my website!

NW:  Will do!

Thank you so much Scott for talking with us!  It really was an enlightening and enjoyable experience.

For those of you who would like to find out more about Scott Appleton, you can visit him at his author website at www.theswordofthedragon.com or you can check out his publishing company at http://www.wix.com/scottappleton/flamingpenpress