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Great Fiction Books for Christian Teens, Part 2
Books for Christian Teens Another week closer to Christmas… and we have more books for Christian teens! As I sift through the options, I keep wondering why it can be such a challenge to find great fiction books for Christian teens? It seems like it’s a little bit of a vicious cycle. Books stores often don’t carry them–so publishers shy away from publishing them. Because we aren’t looking for them. But we don’t look for them because they can be so stinking hard to find, so publishers shy away from publishing them, thus, there aren’t many available for bookstores to carry. Does this sound about right? Speculation, on my part.…
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Great Christian Fiction Books for Teens
I’m a part of a large reading community, which also blurs into my smaller but thriving writing community. It’s fun. I learn stuff from both groups, and like I said, the information often seeps from one group to another. One of the perennial topics I see in both groups goes something like, “name some of the best Christian teenage books?” And then there’s a lull. And then… I’m quite honestly puzzled by some of the books tossed out there as recommends. Seriously, I’m not trying to be ugly here, but my sweet ladies (and gentlemen, because I know there are a few out there) by-and-large, our teenagers aren’t into the…
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Identity. Do You Know Yours?
Thinking about…. Identity. My kids’ youth group has been talking about this, and when the youth pastor and I were chatting, he was sharing about how profoundly important he felt like the discussion is. I completely agree. Knowing who you are… and who you are not willing to become… it’s like a runner putting in the miles of practice (a crazy number of miles, I might add) for one solid race. Without those strides; failure. I’m not talking about not winning, kind of failure. I’m talking not finishing. Or worse. Injury. Physical illness—sometimes creating an emergency situation. But having a solid grip on your identity… Wow. I mean, power, baby.…
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What will you do with what you believe?
What will you do with what you believe . . . This is the question God has me wrestling with right now. I’m not sure of the answer. It seems like it should be easy to nail down… but it’s not. Perhaps that’s because I live a pretty cozy-comfy life. Or maybe I want a better definition of the question. “What do you mean, what will I do? Do I need to do something different?” Hmm… what do you think? We’re discussing this in our home. What does Kingdom work look like? How can I better be the loving hands and heart of Christ to my community? Like I said,…
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Purpose birthed into the storm.
“Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord oh my soul, and forget none of His benefits.” ~Psalm 103:1-2 The storm gathers. I feel the winds sweeping, growing in strength and chill. The gray clouds cluster, swirling, churning, warning. It has been for a while now. Not the first time. Won’t be the last. You’ve been there too. We want to name the storm. Identify the source. Sometimes, though, it’s name is simply life. It rises and falls, there are days of sunshine and days of rain. It is appointed to be so. So, in the midst of the…
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Cover Reveal! The Resistance-A dystopian novel from a Christian world view.
There’s something about getting the finalized version of a book cover. Makes all of the work seem like it’s been wrapped up, that awesome cover the final bow on the package. To be honest, I was nervous about this cover. This genre can be tough–I mean dystopian science fiction from a Christian world view? Talk about niche. Getting the first impression right is essential. I’ve seen some fairly meh covers for this genre (please note, I’ve seen some outstanding covers for YA spec/dystopian too. That’s where I wanted the cover for The Resistance to fall). I have to say, Roseanna White exceeded my expectations for this one! So, without anymore…
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Why Kale?
So….Kale. Yeah, the character in Ordinary Snowflakes. That girl. I’m getting some interesting responses to her. Her name, actually. Some of the reviews are actually quite hilarious as they rant about this “hipster” name I’ve pegged this otherwise lovable character with. Super funny, because, well, they’re just funny. And also because if you know me at all, I’m the last woman you’d peg as a “hipster.” No kidding. So, for the sake of clarification, (and hey, something fun to talk about!) I thought I’d just share why I chose Kale for Ordinary Snowflakes. I wasn’t trying to be trendy (I’ve actually never met a person named Kale (or Cale), so…
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Guilt
Thinking about… guilt. I once asked a friend how to weed through the feelings of guilt that I was wresting with. Balancing being a wife, motherhood, writing, and volunteering in ministry is an ever-present concern in my world. At that moment (when I talked to my friend) I couldn’t shake the guilt I felt every time my kids found me working on something not-them related. She told me two things that really stuck. First, our culture, especially the church sub-culture, tends to bombard us with the idea that our kids need our undying attention every second of every day, no matter what age they are (mine are 9-15. They don’t…
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The Snowflake Hunt
I find myself in search of snowflake ornaments now. This is the first year I’ve experienced this obsession. Honestly, I don’t think I currently own even one of said decorations. But this woman—her name is Kale Brennan—has put into my heart a need to collect these things. Her story, which involves snowflakes, and hot cocoa, and sledding, and all sorts of other wonderful wintry things, also points to the amazing uniqueness of an ordinary snowflake. And how much we can see the extraordinary love of our great God in everyday, ordinary ways. In the words of her daughter Sydney, “There is no such thing as an ordinary snowflake… And we’re…
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Snowflakes, Hot Cocoa, and Hope
I love autumn, and I don’t mean to rush it away, so bear with me as I jump into winter for a moment. I’m only doing so out of sheer delight. My first novella is releasing November 21, and I just can’t wait for another second to tell y’all about it. So without more fluffy intro that you probably don’t care about ;)… Come back with me to Rock Creek (the setting of Reclaimed) and meet Kale, Sydney, Joe, and Craig. Someone has noticed me. A secret admirer? A man with a good heart, who sees how much I actually need help, even though I never admit it? Maybe this…