We’re down to the last few days of May and on this blog that means it’s time for a segment I’ve titled Bookends.  Basically, this a moment to talk about a particular trend or issue in the book industry.  Since this is my first addition to this segment, I decided to go with something that appears to be a simple and complicated topic all in one.

The majority of what I write and a lot of what I read falls in one way or another under the classification of Christian Fiction.  When I started in this genre I didn’t think there was anything particularly strange about it.  I knew Christian Fiction had been around for years.  Plenty of Christian Fiction writers have become well established, from Janette Oke romances to Terri Blackstock mysteries.  I’ve come to discover, however, to a lot of people the concept is still foreign.

Sure there were plenty of people in my life whose response to my writing was, “I’ve never heard of Christian Fiction.  Are there other books like this?”  But the moment I realized there really was a large chunk of the population that hadn’t heard came when I gave a talk about my book at a local library.  Upon my arrival I discovered the library had been distributing flyers declaring me one of the pioneers of this thing called Christian Fiction.  I mean, this was a library…lots of books…lots of “book people” running the thing.  And yet not one of them had heard of the idea.

So, what exactly is Christian Fiction?  The simple definition is a novel with a Christian theme.  This does take several different forms.  Some books included complete “salvation stories” where one or more characters starts to the book as a non-Christian and ends as a believer.  For others it’s more about Christian ideas like, the struggle between faith and fear, obedience over self-reliance, or even deeper theological concepts like what it means to be in a covenant with God.  Then there is a segment that deals more with basic morality issues; i.e. how a Christian lives in the world where immorality is tolerated or even sometimes celebrated.  Whatever the form the book actually takes, any one of these is classified under the heading of Christian Fiction.  I know in the industry some publishers break this down into Christian and Inspirational, but it’s really the same thing.  A fictional story wrapped around a Christian theme.

Now, I know there are people out there who think of this idea as propaganda or even subversive, but if you really think about it, ever book, secular or not, has a message.  The only real difference is secular books get distributed around bookstores based on genre and Christian Fiction, whether romance or mystery, get’s packed onto the same shelf under the same heading…and I’ve noticed that shelf is often way in the back of the store, shoved in a corner, but that’s another topic for another time.

The point is simply this: Christian Fiction does exist!  And it exists in a wide variety.  Whether you’re drawn to sappy romances, geo-political thrillers, or historical tales of woe and triumph, there’s a book for you on the Christina Fiction shelf.

Actually, a great way to learn more is to check out The American Christian Fiction Writer’s Association.  They’ve got a great, long list of published authors.

So, have you ever heard of Christian Fiction?

Oh, and by the way, as of late my local library has started advertising Christian Fiction on the website.  Yep…it’s true. ;)

In all likelihood you’ve seen The Phantom of the Opera either on film or stage, but did you know it was a book first?  Yes, long before Andrew Lloyd-Webber penned The Music of the Night, a French newspaper reporter turned novelist, by the name of Gaston Leroux, wrote a spine tingling story titled Le Fantom de l’ Opera. I mean a long time before. Try circa 1910.  And this French reporter has quite convinced me that he is a genius.

Just in case there is a random reader out there who has just returned from a country where Opera is forbidden and he actually doesn’t know the premise of this story, I’ll set the stage:
The Paris Opera House was at its height of glory in the late 1880s, but ask anyone who was there and they’ll also tell you it was haunted. The Opera house is fraught with all sorts of strange goings on, from harmless pranks to deadly accidents, and a mysterious, ghastly figure is always close at hand. Nothing is perhaps more mysterious, though, than the sudden rise of a young singer named Christine Daae, who claims her newly discovered talent is the result of visitations with the Angel of Music. The only problem is, just as Christine reunites with her childhood love, she comes to realize that her Angel of Music and the Opera Ghost are one in the same, and he wants much more than her voice.

Why should you take the time to read The Phantom of the Opera, even if you’ve seen it?
One: More Phantom
If you think you know the story of the Phantom, you are mistaken.  In fact, I don’t think they even tell you his name in the movie.  The book lets you in on his long and sordid past, achievements and travels as well as a much deeper look into his “lake house.” And for the record, he wears a full face mask.
Two: A better Raul
While I wouldn’t say the Raul in the movie is necessarily bad, he is a bit on the arrogant side, whereas in the novel he is a young man growing up beneath the shadow of his playboy brother.  Although he is often childish in the beginning, a large subplot is the coming of age of Raul as he stands up not only to the Phantom, but to French aristocracy who would rather he take Christine as his mistress than wife.
Three: More Opera House
Leroux was actually inspired to write by the Opera House itself.  Honestly, everything from its unfathomable architecture to its dark and mysterious history makes the Paris Opera House one of the most fascinating buildings in history, and Leroux really strives to give you a taste of each aspect.
Four: More subplots and characters.
Enough said.

Overall, I’d have to say that watching the musical version is like watching the shadows of a candle flicker against a wall.  You get glimpses of the real flame, but you miss out on so much dimension and color.
So, yes, read it.

As to why I put this in the category of the Catchall: Well, originally, feeding of his past as an investigative reporter, Leroux meant the story to be read like an investigation into a cold case crime. When it was published it came to be known more as a horror novel (it was a little easier to horrify back then). And nowadays it’s categorized as a Gothic Romance.

**Little note here: if you are going to take my suggestion, see if you can get a hold of Barns & Noble’s edition, either paperback or eBook. They included a lot of additional historical notes as well as the original article about the Opera House that inspired Leroux. **

So, when was the first time you discovered that the book really is better than the movie? 

Perhaps when I decided in one of my more whimsical moments to title this segment No-Nonsense Non Fiction I had Joyce Meyer in my head, because there are certainly few more straight to the point-no nonsense type people in the world than her.  Perhaps that’s why I like her work so much.  She just tells it like it is.  When comes to the battles we face in life, be it major struggles like illness or day to day drudgeries, I think “telling it like it is” is the best solution.

The Battle Belongs to the Lord.  In its essence, it sounds like a spiritual saying.  This quote from the Bible is one we can have a tendency to use blithely when situations get tough, but does what does it really mean?  Where does it really come from?

The story of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles is the beginning of this small but powerful book, and the primary location of the call of “The battle belongs to the Lord.” Jehoshaphat was certainly faced with a problem greater than most of us will ever face.  After all, few of us will ever stare down a vast army intending on annihilating every one we know. Jehoshaphat’s response was a simple one. He sought the Lord. But that’s not the end of the story.  No, he doesn’t just sit back after that and wait to see what happens. He doesn’t rush out into battle, expecting the Lord to make his sword more effective.  Instead, he does exactly what God tells him to do.

He worships.

Yes, God’s instructions to defeat this mighty army was simply to sing praises to His name, then watch their enemies fall.  So, how does this translate to our situation today?

The Battle Belongs to the Lord is, in its essence, a study on turning to God in our troubles, not with constant prayers for help, but with worship.  It seems like a simple enough idea, but after reading this book I felt I had a better grasp of the concept, to the point where I actually found myself applying it daily.  But then that’s the beauty of so many of Joyce’s books.  They are practical and you can see how they fit into your daily routines.

I can honestly say now that I can tell the difference between the times when, in a situation, I just sat there and prayed for help and focused on the problem and the times when I focused my attention on God and His goodness.  The difference is the level of PEACE I have!

Of course, I’m over simplifying this book.  There is so much more to be said that is best said by the book itself.  The only thing I think I can truly add is this is one book that has left a life-changing mark on my life.

Is there a book you feel changed your life? 

I actually talked a little about a Deeanne Gist’s novel A Bride Most Begrudging a long, long time ago, but the reason I wanted to use it for my first Romance and Reason post is pretty simply.  It’s one of my favorites.

I have a lot of contemporary authors that I love, but to tell you the truth, when it comes to books I list as my all time favorites, very few of them were published in this century.

To set the stage:
The year is 1643 and life in America is anything by civilized, especially when ships arrive from England with “tobacco brides” aboard.  Drew O’Connor isn’t looking for a wife he can buy with a barrel of the tobacco he grows, just a maid to take care of his house and help raise his sister.  But before long he finds himself in a marriage of convenience to one of the strangest and feistiest tobacco brides to make it to the New World.
Constance Morrow claims to be the daughter of an Earl, taken against her will and if she can’t be returned to her home, she would like to be left to attend her love of mathematical equations.
Life in the wild world of colonial America can change just about anybody, though, even the daughter of an Earl. And it might just take the daughter of an Earl to soften the heart of Drew O’Connor.

I love A Bride Most Begrudging for two specific reasons:
One: There is something deeper about it.
Let’s face it, any romance novel can basically be described as; Boy meets Girl…Boy and Girl have some serious problems…Boy and Girl overcome and live happily ever after. And even if that is the sum total of a story, if you’re looking for a romance, you’re still satisfied.  But A Bride Most Begrudging really does feel like more.  The blossoming, often humorous romance between Drew and Constance is great and you can’t help loving them both, but the spiritual struggles each has and the trials faced by the average person living during this time period give the story more depth than your average romance.

Two: The History
I am the first to admit that I am not the biggest fan of American history. Shameful, I know. And I probably wouldn’t have picked this up if my mother hadn’t decided to gift it to me. I discovered, however, an America I really didn’t know and it was fascinating.  The book is set after the establishment of colonial America, but more than a hundred year prior to the Revolutionary period.  It is a segment in history I don’t see much about and Deeanne Gist makes it very interesting.

I think I once described this as the sort of story that sticks to your ribs like soul food and I still would. Just like I still have to admit that as a Californian I know nothing about soul food, but comparing this book to tofu or In and Out Burger would have been wrong.

And I’m not quite sure how Deeanne Gist would feel knowing she’s made it to a place on my list of authors otherwise occupied by writers who have long since died, but that’s just where she’ll have to stay.

So, have you ever read a story set in this time period?

The Million Dollar Mysteries.  Yep, that’s the name of Mindy Starns Clark’s very first series.  It just has a fun ring to it if you ask me and the series is just that, and a whole lot more.  That’s one of the reasons I chose this five book series to kick off the Mystery and Mayhem portion of my blog.  It has plenty of elements that make it a satisfying mystery in both the classical and contemporary sense.

But first, let me set the stage:
After the tragic death of her husband, Callie Webber decided to start her life entirely over; new home, new dog, new job.  Leaving behind a successful law career for a job as a financial investigator for a charity organization called the J.O.S.H.U.A. Foundation seemed like a perfect fit.  The only problem is every time Callie starts an investigation on a new charity someone, somewhere, shows up dead.

Classic, right?  Just like in every good mystery series featuring the same armature detective, each new novel shows the heroine inadvertently stumbling upon a murder.  From the president of a major “food for the hungry” type charity to a migrant farmhand working with a local educational center, no one is safe, but Callie is there to learn the true. The mystery side of these stories really is quite good.  You get the classic dead body/group suspects/suspicious circumstances equation with a satisfying “Oh, I didn’t think of that” reveal at the end.

A contemporary edge? Unlike a lot of classic mysteries staring an amateur sleuth, the five book series can also be read as one book about a young widow overcoming all the facets of grief even as a new relationship with the mysterious owner of the J.O.S.H.U.A. Foundation forms.  And yes, this new man in her life is just as big of a mystery as many of the crimes she’s become involved with.  The emotional and spiritual journey of healing old wounds and finding new hope is, I thought, very well done…and of course it gets all the better when, just as Callie finally feels she really has a second chance at love, it starts to look like the terrible accident that took her husband’s life might not have been an accident after all.

Did I mention each book takes place in a different, often dramatic location?  Well, anyway, this series is worth the read and I’ve noticed they’ve recently been rereleased with new covers.  All the better.

In order, the titles are: A Penny for Your Thoughts, Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels, A Dime a Dozen, A Quarter for a Kiss, and The Buck Stops Here.

So, do you know a mystery series that you think combines the classic with the contemporary? 

This is an apology and promise of sorts.  You know, the old, “I’m sorry I’ve done such a bad job and I promise to do better…And I mean I’ll do better than just doing better…differently.”
Hm, shall I explain?

Well, I obviously haven’t been a very good blogger as of late and that has bothered me.  Once upon a time I was a regular blogger with a blog that covered lots of different topics under the heading of “my own little universe.” It worked while I was in that stage of my life, but life changes and ever since then I’ve let proper blogging fall to the wayside.  For a while now this has just been a strange spot of hodgepodge ideas that hit me and for that I’m a truly sorry.

You deserve better, and frankly I feel a focus lacking blog that is only randomly updated is kind of like a mutilated zombie wondering without a soul. (How’d you like that word picture ;)

My solution? One: A posting schedule. Two: A strict topic.
Here’s the idea. Each week of the month I’ll highlight a different book from a different genre, sometimes classic, sometimes contemporary, always the best of the best.

1^st week of the month:
Mystery and Mayhem- All things mystery/suspense.
2^nd week of the month:
Romance and Reason – All forms of romance novels, from Chicklit to Historical.
3^rd week of the month:
No-Nonsense-Nonfiction – Spiritual, historical, biography and whatever else falls under nonfiction.
4^th week of the month:
Catchalls- The everything else category, from general to young adult to those darn books that defy genre.
Last week/remain days of the month:
Book Ends: General discussion of a topic or trend in the book market of the moment.

You may or may not find my topic of choice original, but I’ve been a bibliophile all my life so there’s really no point in trying to change me.  Seriously, I met my kindergarten teacher after 20 years and she remembered me because I was obsessed with a particular book series.  There’s no hope for me.

Anyway, I am hoping this regiment makes my blogging better by in large and I love talking about books with people.  But even if no one reads my posts, I’ll just personally feel better in having a coherent blog with a little life.
…I know zombies are popular right now, but I really hate them.

Check out my Home Page for the books I’ll cover in May.