Are Fairy Tales a Waste of Time?

This is a guest post by Brent King. As a Christian urban fantasy author I have been confronted, as have many of my writing partners, by those who doubt that fantasy, or fairy stories, have any anchor in the real world. Worse yet, some have argued that they take their reader far out of this [...]

We’re All Evil Stepchildren

Cinderella has never been one of my favorite fairy tales. Maybe that’s because its familiarity through the years has turned it a bit drab for me. Maybe it’s because the danger isn’t fierce enough or the stakes aren’t high enough. Or maybe . . . maybe it’s because I can’t relate to a girl who [...]

Disenchanted by Janet Ursel

Today I welcome author Janet Ursel. Her upcoming debut novel, Disenchanted, will release July 14. She is giving us a peek into how and why she decided to write this intriguing book. The premise looks amazing, I must say. What do you think? ____________ In this Christian fantasy, one young wizard with a hunger for wisdom [...]

I’m Saying “No”

I say no to letting my precious gift of a life slip by while I drown in an electronic, anti-social, busy world. I say no to not making decisions, or letting others make them for me, thus making the worst decision of all. I say no to ignoring the friends who are near and needing [...]

An Allegorical God

God in allegory. Even though I'm an allegorical writer myself, I often have issues with this one. Well, maybe not issues. Let's just say I approach it carefully. God is sovereign. God is almighty and all-knowing. His ways are not our ways. How, then, can any writer really do Him justice in an allegory? We seek [...]

Why I Kissed Self-Esteem Goodbye

It’s a term you can’t avoid hearing in our culture: self-esteem. Think better of yourself. You deserve the best. Be confident in your abilities. If you believe you can do it, you can. For years I bought into it, too. Finding myself. Finding my worth. Loving myself despite my faults and the “ugly” things about [...]

Light and Peace

Well, I suppose it's not too late (yet!) to wish you a Merry Christmas! My plan was to write a Christmas post full of depth and meaning ... But the truth of it is that I haven't had a spare moment to sit down and write a post of any kind in a shamefully long [...]

Vital Imagination

"The soul without imagination is what an observatory would be without a telescope." (Henry Ward Beecher) I suppose there are people who believe imagination isn’t essential. People who think the visible realm is the important one, facts are what matter, not theories or dreams. I’m not among those people. I believe imagination is important. I’d [...]

Books Are Dangerous

Books can be bliss. Books can be a wonderful escape. Books can be deadly dangerous. I’m not sure about you, but I’m addicted to books. I know of many people who are afflicted by this madness as well. It’s not really curable, and I’ve never been quite clear on whether that’s because it’s impossible, or [...]

Hunger Games vs. A Time to Die

This is a guest post by Nadine Brandes, the author of the newly released dystopian novel, A Time to Die. ____________ “What’s your book about?” My most common response: “It’s like Hunger Games, only Christian.” This is rather ironic since half the inspiration behind A Time to Die came from wanting to write a book [...]