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Hopes and Fears

Good morning from Ava Pennington, CAN Secretary, in sunny Florida…

The week between Christmas and New Year is a time between times. The build up to Christmas is over. The new year has yet to begin. Anticipation gives way to fatigue. The Christmas decorations seem to have outlasted their welcome, but I’m not ready to take them down yet. And as much as I love Christmas hymns and carols, they seem anticlimactic.

But one Christmas hymn in particular speaks to the writer in me this week.

An Author's Time ~ Blogging

Greetings from contemporary fiction author, Deborah Vogts. This past year, I've tried to evaluate the moments in a writer's life. This month and next, I'd like to break this down even further and consider how we spend our promotional time. 

Blogs have been around for many years now, probably the first form of social networking where readers could interact with the author by way of commenting. If I had to choose between blogs or social networks, I'd probably pick blogging.

Sing for JOY!

Sherry Kyle, here, writing from my laptop in central California.

Do you feel tired today? Has the festivities of Christmas worn you out? Maybe you had a deadline on top of all the shopping, decorating, and baking this past month and you’re at the end of your rope. Or perhaps it’s been a dry season and you’re hoping for a new book contract. 

Hope and Writing

Aloha from Karen Whiting, CAN treasurer

This week I received an email from an editor that surprised me. I met with the editor last March at a conference and submitted some requested manuscripts but heard nothing. Evidently my submission made it into the accepted folder but in changing secretaries the company missed sending me a contract. This week the editor checked for the contract before preparing to put the article into an upcoming issue, found the error, and emailed me. The article is a new twist on something they like to publish and I hope readers enjoy it.

This unexpected Christmas acceptance adds a final touch of blessing from God to end the year.

I love surprises and each acceptance always surprises me in some way.

Tips from the Pros: Daniel Darling

Merry Christmas from Sarah Sundin! Today I have the honor of interviewing author, pastor, and speaker Daniel Darling. Daniel serves as the senior pastor of the Gages Lake Bible Church outside of Chicago, and is a highly regarded speaker. He also is a frequent contributor to columns and blogs. And yes, he writes books too.

Dan, how did you get into writing? How many books do you have published?

I've been a writer and editor for about twelve years. For several years I worked as an in-house writer and editor for a large Christian media organization. I began freelancing about nine years ago and published my first book, Teen People of the Bible, with New Hope in 2007. I've since written two other books, Crash Course and iFaith, and have a fourth book releasing in the summer of 2012.   

History of Christmas Lights

The people who sat in darkness saw a great light, /  And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.  

                Isaiah 9:2 & Matthew 4:16

Merry Christmas from Elizabeth Baker.

It is not by accident that Christians celebrate the birth of Christ with lights. Since the moment angels appeared on Bethlehem hills announcing a Son was given to the world, lights piercing darkness have signified peace and joy and hope to a weary world.

The first celebration lights were probably simple oil lamps. We have no trustworthy records, but it is not beyond imagination that before candles or Christmas trees or cards or gift giving or even a day called “Christmas,” some early Christians remembered the birth of our Lord. These would have been spontaneous, casual celebrations observed by individual families. As they remembered, it would be natural for them to watch a flickering oil lamp and think of the scripture promising when Messiah (Jesus) came, people who sit in darkness will see a great light.

Poetry for Christmas

Hello. I'm Donn Taylor, here again with comments on writing poetry. But this month, in honor of Christmas, I'm taking a break from describing the elements that make good poetry. Instead, I'm inviting you to join in celebrating the birth of our Lord with two of my poems (one negative, one positive) that are quite different from the usual Christmas poems. See what you think and leave a comment if you choose.

 

 

Speaking Engagements - Selecting A Topic

Hi.  Winnie Griggs here again with the next installment on my posts about speaking engagements.  So far we've covered why you might want to book speaking engagements and dealing with those butterflies.  Today we're going to focus on selecting a topic, in other words, what do you talk about.

For those just testing the waters of speaking engagements, I would suggest you take stock of your personal skills and interests, and choose something you feel comfortable discussing.

Reluctant Runaway, by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Reluctant Runaway, by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

In her novels Jill Nelson has a way of simplifying some of the most prickly issues Christians face today. One of my favorite scenes in her latest novel, The Reluctant Runaway, involves the heroine, Desiree Jacobs and her Native American kidnapper, Pete Cheama, a member of the Zuni tribe. Pete has made plenty of bad choices in his life, and he ultimately blames his mistakes on Christians, whose system "was forced upon [his] people centuries ago and has made [their] spirits weak and [their] minds confused." No Christian wants to feel her faith has weakened or confused anyone, so sometimes we refrain from even discussing Christianity. But Desiree merely responds, "Jesus is not an oppressor." Right there, concisely--the difference between true Christianity and any faith that demands, rather than invites.

 

Nelson's novel is a fun read, with plenty of suspense and action (and some clever romance, to boot). You could enjoy the entire reading experience without stopping to focus on the choice tidbits about faith with which she occasionally peppers the story. But those tidbits deepen the novel and make it stay with you well after you finish the last page. I'd recommend Reluctant Runaway for teen-through-adult readers.

This book review was uploaded by Cecelia Dowdy. Happy reading!

Pure Christmas

Dianne Neal Matthews here, hoping to encourage you with a true Christmas story. Last December was a bittersweet time for our family.