Round and Round the Mulberry Bush
Looks like it's that time of year when Christians who are fans of the stranger genres begin asking why their favorite genres aren't represented as much as women in bonnets in Christian bookstores.
I stopped asking that question years ago. In the end, unless you're a publisher, sales person, or the buyer for a bookstore you're just yelling into the void. There isn't much point in constantly asking "where is it?"
And really, in most of these conversations I hear, people tend to lump everything into one big pot. But I rarely hear people say exactly what it is they are looking for. It's one thing to say "I wish I could find more christian science fiction." But it doesn't really help the point when what you really mean is "I wish I could find more hard sci-fi that focuses on Christians living in a scientifically advanced world that may include realistic space travel."
It is time to stop waiting for stores we don't buy books from to start carrying the books we want, and to begin putting the energy into actively seeking those books!
Rebecca Miller, who's runing the Clive Staples award (and who's blog brought my attention to this new surge in discussion), has deemed July "Read Christian Speculative Fiction Month". In light of that I'd like to make a challenge to everyone who has lamented the dearth of their favorite genre writtten by a Christian.
Make it a point this month to seek out all the Christian fiction that is of the science fiction, fantasy, horror or other genre that you can find. And post about it on your blog. Read some of what you find and review it.
Help people find the fiction they are looking for! Ask people for reading lists! Go to http://www.fictionfinder.com/book/ and see what pops up!
Finally, to help push this along. I'm willing to send out a free copy of my own science fiction novel to the first ten people who contact me through my website with a link to their blog and a promise to read Starfire and blog about it (don't forget a mailing address).
So go to the Clive Staples Award site, go to Marcher Lord Press, go to Fictionfinder, go to Where the Map Ends.
Find the books you're looking for and tell people about them. Then maybe you will suddenly find your favorite genre isn't as forgotten as you thought it was.
I stopped asking that question years ago. In the end, unless you're a publisher, sales person, or the buyer for a bookstore you're just yelling into the void. There isn't much point in constantly asking "where is it?"
And really, in most of these conversations I hear, people tend to lump everything into one big pot. But I rarely hear people say exactly what it is they are looking for. It's one thing to say "I wish I could find more christian science fiction." But it doesn't really help the point when what you really mean is "I wish I could find more hard sci-fi that focuses on Christians living in a scientifically advanced world that may include realistic space travel."
It is time to stop waiting for stores we don't buy books from to start carrying the books we want, and to begin putting the energy into actively seeking those books!
Rebecca Miller, who's runing the Clive Staples award (and who's blog brought my attention to this new surge in discussion), has deemed July "Read Christian Speculative Fiction Month". In light of that I'd like to make a challenge to everyone who has lamented the dearth of their favorite genre writtten by a Christian.
Make it a point this month to seek out all the Christian fiction that is of the science fiction, fantasy, horror or other genre that you can find. And post about it on your blog. Read some of what you find and review it.
Help people find the fiction they are looking for! Ask people for reading lists! Go to http://www.fictionfinder.com/book/ and see what pops up!
Finally, to help push this along. I'm willing to send out a free copy of my own science fiction novel to the first ten people who contact me through my website with a link to their blog and a promise to read Starfire and blog about it (don't forget a mailing address).
So go to the Clive Staples Award site, go to Marcher Lord Press, go to Fictionfinder, go to Where the Map Ends.
Find the books you're looking for and tell people about them. Then maybe you will suddenly find your favorite genre isn't as forgotten as you thought it was.
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