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Fiction Christians From Another Planet! I: Invasion Of The Child-People

Why do some Christian novels keep presenting only equivalents of kid-Anakin or Wesley Crusher, instead of Han Solo or Captain Picard, and expect readers to like them? · E. Stephen Burnett

Are You Sitting Down For This? (Why I’m Taking A Stand For Writers Everywhere)

Chances are if you are reading this post, you are sitting down. And if you are like most Americans (we writers are some of the worst) you’ll probably spend at least 12 hours of your waking day sitting on your […] · Christopher Miller

Every Bit Of My Heart

I no longer knew how to love God with the creative side of me. Life had changed. I was different, but part of my heart was dedicated to an old dream, a child’s dream. And I didn’t love it for God’s sake. · Shannon Dittemore

Hold Your Twinkies Loosely!

Happy New Year! Well, we made it folks! I do believe a collective sigh is in order. 2012 (the year that was “doomsday”) is finally in the books and we would do well to count our blessings for a moment. […] · Christopher Miller

The Echoes Of Christmas

God is the Author of the Christmas story. I wonder how far its echoes can, and should, reach in all stories. What would a story look like, written in a spirit that, like Scrooge, honors Christmas and keeps it all the year? · Shannon McDermott

Writing In The Raw

Author Christopher Miller: Confession time. Writing doesn’t come easy for me. There, I’ve said it. So you can imagine my shock and surprise when asked to join as a regular contributor to the Speculative Faith blog. · Christopher Miller

‘The Hobbit’ Story Group 6: Out Of The Frying-Pan Into The Fire

(How) do you plan to see “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”? Be prepared for the film to climax with an expanded version of the book’s chapter 6, “Out of the Frying Pan Into the Fire.” · E. Stephen Burnett

In Which I Take The “Wrong Vehicle” Out For Another Spin

A week and a half ago, Mike Duran contended that fiction is the wrong vehicle for theology. That generated a wonderful discussion, but I didn’t enter into either conversation because I needed time to craft a careful response. Which I’ll attempt today. · Yvonne Anderson

What Constitutes “Derivative”?

Some scholars claim J. R. R. Tolkien owed a debt of influence where he claimed none. I find this criticism to be thoroughly ironic because the great accusation against writers of high fantasy today is that their work is derivative, a mere shadow of, you guessed it, J.R.R. Tolkien. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Preference V. Weakness

Reader differences go far beyond genre or gender. Each person brings his or her own preferences, prejudices, expectations, beliefs, experiences, and assumptions to the story. · Keanan Brand

‘The Hobbit’ Story Group 4: Over Hill and Under Hill

Reviewers, publishers, and readers keep making up Middle-earth myths, including the notion that it can’t have “stone-giants,” as mentioned in “The Hobbit” chapter 4. · E. Stephen Burnett

Holidays And Celebrations

J. K. Rowling was not alone in making use of this-world holidays. C. S. Lewis created a powerful, and Christian, message in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by referencing the fact that Narnia suffered under a never-ending winter–always winter and never Christmas. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

The Power Of Christian Fiction

Kingdom Series and The Knights of Arrethtrae series author Chuck Black: The spectrum of Christian fiction literature is broad. Does it have the power to change lives? How responsible is the author for his work’s influence? How far is too far? · Chuck Black

A Meandering Thank You

Yvonne Anderson, author of the science-fiction “Gateway to Gannah” series, shares her journey to publication in her first column as a new Speculative Faith regular contributor. · Yvonne Anderson

Old Soldiers

Veterans Day, aka Armistice Day, has a particular resonance for me, since it’s also my birthday. It’s a sobering thing to discover, at a very young age, that you were born on a day that commemorates the ending of a war—and not just any war, but arguably the most horrendous war in human history. · Fred Warren

The Fine Line Between Reality and Fantasy

When I started writing my recently released young adult novel, Fathom, I knew there would be otherworldly creatures involved and that they would play a big part in the story. However, I always felt that at its heart, Fathom was a contemporary story · Merrie Destefano

The De-volution Of Revolution

There’s a monster lurking inside all of us. · John Otte

What Makes Novels Mediocre?

How does sin influence our mediocre expectations? What makes reading novels a duty rather than a delight — or even makes you put down the book and refuse to read further? · E. Stephen Burnett
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