Paranormal Activity

Normally I'm not a fan of horror movies. They just don't do anything for me. I've never seen any of the Freddy or Jason movies. I steadfastly refuse to watch the various Saws. I made an exception for the Scream franchise and I did enjoy them, but that sort of movie normally doesn't tickle my fancy.

With one exception: I'm a sucker if the movie is supposed to be "real."

I don't know why I have that weakness exactly. But if something is supposed to be "real life," I'll be there in the front row, ready to go.

This isn't a new phenomena for me either. A little over ten years ago, the now-defunct UPN network aired a travesty entitled Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County, which was supposedly "found footage" of an entire family in Lake County, Minnesota, being abducted by aliens. The footage was grainy and full of static. The family panic seemed real. The footage was interspersed with interviews with experts (including two I recognized, Stanton Friedman and Michael Shermer). UPN billed the whole thing as real. When it aired, my brother and I watched it and played "X Files" with it. He took the "it's real" stance. I tried to argue it was all fake. We were deadlocked until we saw the final credits and realized that the entire family and the aliens were all given credits. I used to have the thing on tape and even showed it to some college friends of mine. I still get chills when I remember the last image of the final abductee.

Of course, the next year came an even bigger scare, namely The Blair Witch Project. Once again, supposedly found footage about three young people who went into the woods looking for a witch and never came out again. And yes, I know, a lot of people didn't like the movie and I can understand why. Not a lot happened and when stuff did, it was out of focus. But again, that final image in the basement still haunts me. I seriously couldn't go into my own basement after dark for a week. I think part of this movie's success was from the fact that they built such a great mythos around it. The stars didn't do press until a few months after the movie was released, so there was that great question mark hanging over the movie (although let's be honest. If the footage was real, there's no way it would be released to theaters. Just saying).

There have been other movies that have tried this to greater and lesser effect. The most recent example was Cloverfield, a great monster movie supposedly made of "found footage."

Which brings us to what this review is really all about: Paranormal Activity.

The premise is pretty simple: a young woman named Katie has apparently been "haunted" since she was eight. She's since moved in with her boyfriend, a day trader named Micah (but pronounced Mee-kah), who decides that maybe they should turn her paranormal problems into a reality show. Yeah, like nobody would ever think to do that. Ever. They also consult with a psychic who somehow knows that this isn't a ghost, it's actually a demon. Katie and Micah do their best to deal with their nocturnal visitor, who steps up a campaign of terror over what amounts to a month or so of mostly sleepless nights. Things go bang in the night. Strange things happen to Katie. And it all builds up to a supposedly terrifying ending that really didn't do it for me.

I'm actually a little surprised I wasn't more scared by this movie. Compared to Blair Witch, this is the better movie in terms of suspense and build-up. Whereas the former was mostly shaking tents and blurry bloody body parts, this one was pretty obvious. When something spooky happened, you knew what was happening. And the "presence," or whatever you want to call it, certainly ramped up the terror games throughout the movie. There was one point where I was cringing in my seat, certain that the movie was about the end badly.

But the movie kept going. And I think that's part of the reason why I left the theater more bemused than frightened. If the director would have cut off the last minute or two and avoided the over-the-top effect he saved for the very last second, I would have been rattled pretty badly. But thanks to that last minute or two, I wound up rolling my eyes and thinking, "Whatever."

And I think that's another weakness of the film, definitely where it lacks against Blair Witch. Maybe I'm misremembering things, but I seem to recall that there was that massive question mark hovering over Blair Witch. Was this real? If it isn't, where are the actors? Who are they? That sort of thing. It wasn't until weeks into the run that the "truth" was revealed, that the actors went on Leno, that the whole thing was revealed to be fiction.

But I knew before I even set foot into the theater that what I was seeing wasn't real. While it certainly smacked of reality, I had that safety valve in the back of my mind. If things got too tense (and a lot of scenes trended that way for me), I could simply remind myself, "Hey, the actors are on this week's cover for Entertainment Weekly. They're fine. It's just a movie."

Don't get me wrong. There are some genuine chills and plenty of "jump-out-of-your-seat" moments that had my heart pumping and my palms sweaty. And it's an incredible testament to the keep-it-simple-stupid philosophy. I mean, this was made for $11,000, for crying out loud! I just don't know if it's the incredible phenomenon everyone makes it out to be.

But I still have that soft spot for these kinds of movies. Which is why I think my next excursion to the theater will be for a movie whose trailer I saw this afternoon: The Fourth Kind. I think they may be a little liberal in saying it's based on "case studies," but I'll still be ready to see what I can see. How about you?

Wordcount Wednesday

So let's see here. What can I say about writing this week? I did more work on my entries for Marcher Lord Select (you read that right, I'm in both the main and premise contests. Double your . . . never mind). I also did some promo work for said contest.

Oh, and I also got a highly encouraging rejection letter. And yes, you read that right too.

Funny thing about rejection letters. A few years back, I would have been devastated by a rejection slip from an editor or agent. Now I expect them. I'm even thinking of getting a frame so I can proudly display my latest.

Especially this one. It was for Numb but the agent in question had a few positive things to say about it and he even included some suggestions.

This is well nigh unheard of. You better believe I'm going to be paying attention.

So that's it for me this week. I'm continuing my "time-line" read-through on Numb. I've been doing a lot of mulching on a new story idea with my brothers-in-law. I call this one the superhero story. Catchy, no? Well, it's a work in progress. Not even in progress, I guess. Maybe a work in preparation. More on it when the time comes.

Now to go find a good frame . . .

Eternity Falls

Imagine a future world. A genetics company has hit a literal fountain of youth. They can shut off the aging process at a cellular level and allow people to live pretty much forever. Thousands of people have had the Miracle Treatment, as they call it.

Only now one of them is dead. From natural causes. And she's the company's spokesperson.

Enter Rick Macey, a private investigator hired by the vice president of the company, to figure out what happened to Greta Darling, an eighty nine year old actress who looks to be twenty two. The vice president, Sheila Dunn, believes that a religious nut is out to bring down the company and the Treatment. She hopes Macey, with his unique background in the Civil Defense and Intelligence.

The thing is, Macey knows she's not far wrong.

Now Macey is on a collision course with his past, trying to find a solution to this conundrum before eternity falls . . .

That's the basic premise of Eternity Falls by Kirk Outerbridge. I don't think I've ever read a cyberpunk novel before. At least, I can't remember any. I don't think this one will be forgettable. Outerbridge created a very realistic world with a definite history and inner logic that hangs together quite well. The Los Angeles of the late 21st century is a strange mixture of glitz and desolation with colorful denizens and plenty of problems.

The theological underpinnings of the story were fascinating. I won't go into those either. But Outerbridge skirted a fine line and didn't fall over the edge with this one and I really appreciated what he did.

But most of all, this book was a fun read! Lots of adventure, action, and good humor.

My only complaint is that the romantic subplot seemed a bit tacked on. At the very least, the shift into it didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. But that's a minor thing.

You can't go wrong with this one.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Take Two

A few months ago, I posted a review about the Batman: Arkham Asylum demo I played. I based my statements in said review about the very brief playthrough the demo offered.

Well, a few weeks ago I splurged and bought the full game. This was because I heard phenomenal things about this game and I wanted to see if it's really as good as they said. And it is. It truly is.

As I said in the earlier review, the story is pretty simple: Batman has captured the Joker and brought him back to Arkham Asylum. Joker breaks free and traps Batman on the island with the worst rogues and villains, a veritable who's who of Batman's nemeses. As Batman, the player must navigate the asylum and do his or her best to spoil Joker's fun, especially since Joker's schemes threaten the rest of Gotham City (which shouldn't come as a big surprise).

So let's get right down to it. Graphically, this game was incredible. I commented on this already. Very gritty, very grimy, very earthy. I did have some trouble with a few of the levels every now and then. The big, sprawling levels caused my computer to drag a little at times, but nothing that hampered my enjoyment too much.

One of the features I loved, graphics wise, was the damage Batman took through the game. He didn't remain pristine. He picked up gouges, tears, dust, dirt, so that by the end of the game, you could tell that Batman had really given his all. It was a minor thing but a very nice touch.

Speaking of nice touches, I said this in my previous review, but how awesome is it that the game developers got the vocal talent from the animated series to do the voices for the game? I suppose I could have gotten used to new voices for Batman and Joker, but come one. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are awesome at what they do.

On to combat. In my previous review, I opined that combat seemed a bit too simple. I'd like to revise that and say that the combat is deceptively simple. Yes, it mostly consists of mouse-clicking over and over and over, but you have to exert a fair amount of control to keep things flowing smoothly. This is especially true of the challenge modes, but I'll get to those in a little bit.

On top of fighting, there were a number of stealth levels which only makes sense. Batman did train as a ninja, after all. I normally hate stealth levels, especially when they're tacked on for no reason. And while some of the "reasons" for the stealth levels seemed a bit contrived, I really didn't mind. There were enough tricks in Batman's arsenal that I actually preferred taking the baddies out quietly to fighting them.

But there's even more to the game than the plot that revolved around the Joker. Apparently the Riddler's been busy too, hiding riddles and weird question mark trophies all through the island. Part of the challenge of the game is to track every single one of these down, along with destroying chattering Joker teeth and finding interviews with Arkham patients (some of those were awesome, especially the ones for Scarecrow and Zsasz). Admittedly, I cheated and went on the Internet to figure out where they all were, but still that was fun.

Even though I've beaten the storyline portion and found all the Riddler schwag, there's still more to do. I have about two dozen challenge levels to beat yet. This is probably the most interesting part of the game in my opinion. There are two types: combat and predator (or stealth). In combat, you fight wave after wave of Joker thugs and gain points based on how smooth your combat is. It's not easy to get a smooth fighting flow going. If you get hit or miss a target, your flow is interrupted and you don't get as many points as you could. This is where combat becomes extremely tricky.

In the predator challenges, you face off against a certain number of thugs and have to take them all out using different stealthy tactics. The trick here is to earn three trophies by taking out the thugs in very specific ways: inverted takedowns, jumping out at them from around a corner, and so on.

So even thought I've "finished" the game, I'll still be hopping on it from time to time to try to get all the challenge trophies.

I do have one major gripe about this game, and it's the fifteen minute prologue to the beginning. In the opening segment, you have to escort Joker, who's strapped to a Hannibal Lecter-style gurney, through the foyer of Arkham and into patient processing. All you can do is walk. Nothing else. And yes, stuff happens (like an encounter with Killer Croc or Joker "getting free"), but it was so boring. I wanted to start throwing batarangs I was so bored.

And while I'm at it, there's a minor gripe too and it has to do with Scarecrow. There were a few times when the "World's Greatest Detective" blundered into things that even I saw coming. I get that it was necessary to kick off the surreal Scarecrow levels (which were an interesting challenge, to say the least), but still, a little more creativity on the part of the designers could have alleviated that.

But all told, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a fantastic game. It's well put together, fits the material well, and is a blast to play.

Double Take

I'm having a hard time admitting this, but I just got done reading a romance novel, namely Double Take by Jenness Walker.

Yes, I know. I'm a speculative fiction guy. Emphasis on the "guy" part. I'm not exactly the target audience for this book, I'm guessing. And yet a week ago, I sought this particular book out at Walmart and bought it and read it. Why?

Because I owed the author for laughing at her. But more on that in a moment.

The story follows Cole Leighton and Kenzie Jacobs. Cole is waiting for a bus, reading a thriller called Obsession, when, much to his surprise, a woman looking exactly like the cover model, joins him at the bus stop. He chalks it up to coincidence and keeps reading. The main character in his book also boards a bus, only to have the vehicle stopped and the heroine kidnapped.

Well, guess what happens to Cole? That's right: the bus he's on is stopped and the look-alike is pulled off by masked men and kidnapped. Cole tries to tell the police about the strange coincidence but they won't listen. So Cole takes it upon himself to rescue the woman. Following the clues in the novel, he tracks her down and saves her life, thus meeting Kenzie.

Now Cole and Kenzie have to try to stay one step ahead of the kidnappers as they try to re-enact the book. Who is it and why is this happening?

This was a really fun book to read. As much as it pains me to admit it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jenness Walker keeps the plot moving along, throwing enough obstacles in their path (and between them) to keep things tense. The only downside was that I was a little unclear on the villain's motivation. Maybe that's my problem, I don't know.

So what did I mean about laughing at the author? Well, I had the privilege to meet Jenness Walker at the ACFW National Conference in Denver about a month ago. We hung out on the first day and, as we talked, she told me that she still got nervous pitching to agents and editors.

Well, the next morning, at worship, it was announced that Jenness Walker was going to give the devotional. Remembering what she had told me the day before, I burst out laughing at the cognitive dissonance. But Jenness, you did a fabulous job with the devotional.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I have to go punch something. Or do something sufficiently manly. . .

Wordcount Wednesday

So it's been a crazy week for me. I've been working hard on [--TITLE REDACTED--] all week and . . .

Wait, what was that?

Okay, maybe I should explain. I've been invited to participate in Marcher Lord Select. So this past week, I've put Numb on hold for a while to work on [--TITLE REDACTED--], my entry. Editing pages, putting together a synopsis, trying to make it sparkle.

So why am I redacting the title? Because there's a possibility that the entries will be anonymous and I want to make sure I'm within the rules.

But I do want all of you (or the few of you who read this) to help. Have you registered at the Anomaly yet to be a judge? Have you spread the news about the contest? Please do! The more judges we have the better.

So what comes once my entry is in? I finish the time-line tuning of Numb. I finally sit down to do another edit on Return of the Mourning Dove. And then I have to figure out what new project to tackle. Re-writing The Escape, my NaNoWriMo project from last year? Or start piecing together one of the two projects that are beginning to demand more and more attention.

First things first. And that's Marcher Lord Select.

A Novel Idea

In the interest of fairness, I didn't read this book word-for-word. But I could have easily. A Novel Idea is a treasure trove for authors of any level. A whole slew of Christian writers got together and wrote a series of essays covering just about every aspect of writing Christian fiction. And when I say every aspect, I mean every aspect, from imagining all the way down to selling and promoting.

I was fortunate enough to buy this one a bit early at the ACFW Conference about a month ago. Writing conferences are still a great way to go to fellowship with other writers and sit at the feet of established authors. But if you can't make it to a conference, this is a pretty good substitute.

CSFF Blog Tour: Haunt of Jackals Day Three

So here we wrap up this month's blog tour about Haunt of Jackals by Eric Wilson, the second book in the Jerusalem Undead Trilogy. On the third days of these tours, I usually ramble and wax philosophical. And so it is today. There was one element of this story that really resonated with me, and that's the earrings and vials with Nazarene blood that seem to be a standard piece of equipment for the Nistarim.

In the Bible, blood has a special significance and power. It was Abel's blood that cried out to God against his brother Cain. The Israelites were forbidden from eating meat with the blood still in it. That prohibition was one of the few placed upon Gentile Christians after the Council of Jerusalem. Blood is life itself and the source of the new life we have, just as Peter says in 1 Peter 1:18-19. Given that this is a vampire novel, this use of blood is a great counterpoint especially given the Akeldama Cluster's origin.

So why does this resonate so much with me? Because I regularly drink Nazarene blood myself. And I'm not being cute. There's a lot of us who do.

See, I'm a Lutheran, and one of the distinctive things about Lutheran theology is our beliefs about Holy Communion. We don't believe that the bread and wine are symbolic. We believe that Jesus' body and blood are there, in, with, and under the bread and wine. We call it the Real Presence. So when we celebrate communion, it's not a symbol of anything. It's a sacrament that grants us forgiveness of sins.

But more than that, it also gives us strength. You know that old saying, "You are what you eat?" Well, we believe that by taking communion, our faith grows and strengthens to make us what we eat: Christ Himself.

So while I may not have cared for the story overall, there was still a poignant touchstone for me anyway.

Did anyone else have that kind of connection? Go check out what the other tourists had to say:

Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Julie
Carol Keen
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Nissa
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

CSFF Blog Tour: Haunt of Jackals Day Two

One of the things that has struck me about Haunt of Jackals by Eric Wilson, and Field of Blood, the other book in the Jerusalem Undead Trilogy is how gritty the content is. Wilson doesn't pull any punches. In the first book, there was the scene where the Collectors broke out of the Akeldama tombs to discover two workers . . . well, I'm not sure what the technical term would be and I'm not sure I want to use the crude terminology. Let's just say it's a rape and leave it at that. I wish I could give some of the things I noticed in this book, but I fear they'd be considered spoilers, and rightfully so. Wilson's world is one of darkness and shadow, a lot grittier than you usually find in Christian fiction.

But that's okay. I didn't mind a bit. The world is a dark place thanks to sin and I think we have to show that darkness before the brilliance of the True Light can dawn. I'm not suggesting that every book should be this dark. I doubt chick-lit or romance would benefit. But a vampire novel? Perfect fit.

Maybe I'm the only one who thinks so. Go check out what the rest of the tourists have to say:

Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Julie
Carol Keen
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Nissa
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

CSFF Blog Tour: Haunt of Jackals Day One

This month, we're taking a look at Haunt of Jackals by Eric Wilson, the second book in the Jerusalem Undead Trilogy.

The story picks up pretty much where the first book left off. Regina Lazarescu, or "Gina," has faced off against the demonic Collectors in the hills of Romania and come out battered but victorious. Her "partner in crime," Cal Nichols, a disgraced member of the Nistarim, sets her up with a new identity and a new life in a place he hopes will be far from danger.

But the Collectors aren't done with the Nistarim yet. One half of the Akeldama cluster have retreated to the birthplace of Judas Iscariot to set a horrific plan in motion. The other half are focused on finding Natira, a member of their cluster who has been missing for centuries. Before long, all the threads converge in one gigantic clash that will change Gina's life forever, especially as a new player emerges on the scene.

I'll say this up front: I'm not a fan of vampire stories. I don't care for the movies, I despised Twilight, and I wasn't exactly a fan of the first book in this trilogy. I did my best to keep an open mind as I read the second book.

For the most part, I enjoyed it. Wilson is extremely creative and pulls a lot of obscure Scriptural threads together as he weaves his story. It works . . . for the most part. There were a few times when I was left scratching my head. For example, I didn't see any significance in the fact that the remains of Nehustan, Moses's bronze serpent, is a part of Gina's dagger. And Wilson's retelling of a contemporary American myth seemed a bit too over-the-top to me. That's just my opinion, though, and others might disagree.

The other major problem I had (and it took me until the second book to really put my finger on it) is the "voice" of the Akeldama Collectors. I get that they live in the modern world and will naturally begin to adapt themselves to the patterns of this world. My problem is this: these are the reanimated corpses of first century people possessed by demonic forces. Personally, I would think that their internal voices wouldn't sound so . . . well, normal. Human. There should be a touch of otherworldliness to them that didn't seem present.

But again, these are my opinions about a book that sits in a sub-genre of speculative fiction that I normally don't care for. Take what I've written with a grain of salt.

Normally I'd suggest you go and see what the other participants have to say, but I don't have the list at hand right now. If you do want to see what the other tourists have on their mind, check back later today and hopefully I'll have the list by then.

And here's the list:

Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Julie
Carol Keen
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Nissa
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

Marcher Lord Select

I received this in my e-mail in-box last night:

Marcher Lord Press Announces Marcher Lord Select

(Colorado Springs, CO)--Marcher Lord Press, the premier publisher of Christian speculative fiction, today announces the debut of a revolution in fiction acquisitions.

"Marcher Lord Select is American Idol meets book acquisitions," says publisher Jeff Gerke. "We're presenting upwards of 40 completed manuscripts and letting 'the people' decide which one should be published."

The contest will proceed in phases, Gerke explains, in each subsequent round of which the voters will receive larger glimpses of the competing manuscripts.

The first phase will consist of no more than the book's title, genre, length, a 20-word premise, and a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb. Voters will cut the entries from 40 to 20 based on these items alone.

"We want to show authors that getting published involves more than simply writing a great novel," Gerke says. "There are marketing skills to be developed--and you've got to hook the reader with a good premise."

Following rounds will provide voters with a 1-page synopsis, the first 500 words of the book, the first 30 pages of the book, and, in the final round, the first 60 pages of the book.

The manuscript receiving the most votes in the final round will be published by Marcher Lord Press in its Spring 2010 release list.

No portion of any contestant's mss. will be posted online, as MLP works to preserve the non-publication status of all contestants and entries.

Participating entrants have been contacted personally by Marcher Lord Press and are included in Marcher Lord Select by invitation only.

"We're also running a secondary contest," Gerke says. "The 'premise contest' is for those authors who have completed a Christian speculative fiction manuscript that fits within MLP guidelines and who have submitted their proposals to me through the Marcher Lord Press acquisitions portal before October 29, 2009."

The premise contest will allow voters to select the books that sound the best based on a 20-word premise, a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb, and (possibly) the first 500 words of the book.

The premise contest entrants receiving the top three vote totals will receive priority acquisitions reading by MLP publisher Jeff Gerke.

"It's a way for virtually everyone to play, even those folks who didn't receive an invitation to compete in the primary Marcher Lord Select contest."

Marcher Lord Select officially begins on November 1, 2009, and runs until completion in January or February 2010. All voting and discussions and Marcher Lord Select activities will take place at The Anomaly forums in the Marcher Lord Select subforum. Free registration is required.

"In order for this to work as we're envisioning," Gerke says, "we need lots and lots of voters. So even if you're not a fan of Christian science fiction or fantasy, I'm sure you love letting your voice be heard about what constitutes good Christian fiction. So come on out and join the fun!"

Marcher Lord Press is a Colorado Springs-based independent publisher producing Christian speculative fiction exclusively. MLP was launched in fall of 2008 and is privately owned. Contact: Jeff Gerke; www.marcherlordpress.com.

+++

I actually heard about Marcher Lord Select while I was at the ACFW National Conference. I guess that's one of the benefits of rooming with a publisher. And you can expect more information about this from me soon. Because there just might be a reason why I received this info last night. All of you are smart individuals. Go back and look it over and see if you can figure it out.

I'll just say this: I've got some work to do!

A Star Curiously Singing

I almost feel like what I'm about to write should be read by Don LaFontaine. But here we go . . .

In a world where Shari'a law is the rule and norm, SandFly is a debugger. He has an implant in his brain that allows him to access computer systems and robots, fixing and reprogramming them from within. But the implant also inhibits him, blocking "bad" thoughts and actions from ever forming.

His master sends him out on a mission to work on a robot that was part of the first interstellar flight to an alien star. On the trip, something caused the robot to tear itself to pieces. SandFly's job is to find out what that was.

The problem is, if he does, he puts himself and the whole world in jeopardy.

That's the plot of A Star Curiously Singing by Kerry Nietz.

I really enjoyed this book. Nietz puts together a very intricate world with its own terminology, rules, and mores and employs it effectively. At first, I had a little bit of trouble digesting it all. We dive in with both feet into SandFly's world, which has a lot of flash and jargon to it. Getting used to the ideas of debuggers, the stream, downriders, and so on and so forth. But once I got into it, everything flowed quite nicely. I especially appreciated Nietz's made up "cursing." Crichton and clarke!

The dystopian feel to it worked as well. Neitz's posited future, one where a certain monotheistic religion basically conquers the world, felt plausible and fully realized. The only thing that bothered me about that was referring to people as "Abduls." It was so constant it almost felt unnecessarily disrespectful. I understood the reasoning toward the end when Neitz explained it, but by then, I wonder if other readers might not be turned off.

The interesting thing is that if you read the backcover copy of the book (which I did not summarize completely in my "Mr. Movie Voice" business above), you pretty much will know the whole plot. It doesn't stray that much from it. But the really cool thing is that Neitz keeps you going. It's a fun read and a wild ride through the future. I'm looking forward to what I assume will be a series following the further adventures of SandFly.

Maybe in Germany 70 years ago...

Dear well-meaning but out-of-touch Baptist congregation,

Most people don't consider a book burning a "social event."

Sincerely,
A concerned Lutheran pastor

So what's on the tube?

I realized that it's been a while since I've written about TV shows, so I thought I'd go through a rundown of what I watch through the week and maybe even offer some comments about each. I don't think any of this will be all that in-depth. I almost hesitate to do this because it'll expose how much of a TV junkie I am. But it's rare when I don't fully embrace a bad idea, so here we go . . .

MONDAY:
Heroes on NBC - I'm on the fence with Heroes this year. The past few seasons have been awful. Last season was a bit better, but not completely. It seems like the writers are trying to get things back together, but I think a major problem with this show is the fact that none of the heroes actually want anything. Not really. The evil carnie guy, Samuel, he obviously wants something. The others, not so much. Not in a major way, not in a way that would cause me to root for any of them. It'll be interesting to see how the return of Sylar plays into things. Oh, and Claire's lesbian kiss? Can you say "desperate pandering?"

Castle on ABC - I love me some Castle. Honest to goodness, this is a fun show. I didn't watch it last season. Instead, based on the recommendation of an on-line friend, I got caught up on the first season on-line. Nathan Fillion as Castle is awesome. His chemistry with Stana Katic is superb and always fun to watch. While some of the plots border on predictable, they're always entertaining. My only gripe is that in this season, Stana Katic really resembles Olivia Benson from Law and Order:SVU. But that's just a minor gripe. This is one of my "must see" shows that I look forward to each week.

TUESDAY:
Shark Tank on ABC - Another summer import. It's kind of fun to watch would-be entrepreneurs face off against the sharks. Some of the ideas are great; many are just plain weird. But I've learned two valuable lessons: don't overvalue your company (it's a sure way to get smacked down by the sharks) and one of the sharks doesn't have a soul. I won't say which one because I have a feeling that if he saw me call him out by name, I'd get sued. But just watch an episode. You should be able to figure out which one fast enough.


So You Think You Can Dance on Fox - This one spills over into Wednesdays. My wife got me hooked on this one a while ago. I love this show, but I think it's slipping a little. I thought the judge's treatment of Evan last season was shameful. I get they didn't want him to win, but really, he became a whipping boy for them. And I also worry that they aren't being as diverse as they should be. And by that, I mean in terms of dancing styles. Last season saw a basic lack of hip hop, which really stood out when they did their "best of" show a few weeks back. Granted, we don't know who the top 20 is this year yet. I'm just hoping that we have some people who can handle some true hip hop routines.

WEDNESDAY:
America's Next Top Model on the CW - Yes, I know. I'll wait until you're done laughing . . . Again, my wife got me hooked on this I don't know how long ago. I love the drama, especially of the makeovers and the go-sees. Unfortunately, there hasn't been as much drama in recent years as I'd like. It's almost as if the would-be models have wised up to Tyra's headgames (it took them long enough!). I do have a problem with how the would-bes are being presented this year. The emphasis on their height is driving me batty. If Tyra really wants to open the field to petite models, why does she keep beating us over the head with how short they are. Listing their heights in the credits, for example. Or how about the judging room? Why is Tyra up on a step while all the girls wear flats to the panel? Classy. Tyra seems to be really full of herself at times. But hey, this is a guilty pleasure. And I do enjoy the pictures. Some of them are really cool.

Glee on Fox - I jumped into this one this fall. I'm kind of torn on this show. On the one hand, the musical numbers are fantastic. These kids can sing and I love the way they fold in the musical selections into the stories. And yes, the writers can put together some fantastic zingers (such as Sue Sylvester's reasoning for salting the earth outside her former house this past week). But I have to be fully honest: the pregnancy/adoption storyline infuriates me to no end. I tense up every time this shows up and, since this is kind of a major part of the overall show, it sours my enjoyment. If the writers would have done just a little more research, it might not have bothered me. But oh well. I'll just keep enjoying the music.

Law and Order: SVU on NBC - I've been a long-time Law and Order fan but this one is wearing a bit thin. The two versions I watch seem to be no longer interested in balanced viewpoints but instead about beating people over the head regarding the writers' political and social views. SVU in particular is particularly bad about this. I've come to expect that someone will quote some statistic at some point in every episode. I guarantee it happens every week. It's soap box preaching. The stories are still good and thought-provoking, so I'm sticking with it. I just wish they'd drop the numbers every now and then.

FRIDAY:
Law and Order on NBC - I still love me some Sam Waterston. I do. I'm a Jack McCoy fanatic. If he ever left the show, I might too. This season's been okay so far. I mean, the formula has been in place since who knows when. But I do have one negative comment: Anthony Anderson should stop with the gallows humor. I mean, seriously. For one thing, he can never pull it off. For another, Jerry Orbach was the king of the dark humor in the opening little teaser. Every time I hear Anderson try to do a deadpan joke about the current case, I just remember Orbach and I miss him all the more.

Dollhouse on Fox - I'm a little worried about the Dollhouse. They seem to have reverted back to the "engagement of the week" episodes so far with only bare snatches of the deeper mythology. I suppose that's in hopes that new viewers will come on board. But it's already led to a real stinker (the recent "Echo is a new mommy" one; I'm thinking that's going to be this season's "ninja back-up singer"). Hopefully in the coming weeks, things will get back on track. I almost wonder if the problem is the fact that I've seen Epitaph One. That showed us major spoilers for where the show is going and kind of relieves some of the tension. We'll have to see.

SUNDAY:
The Amazing Race on CBS - This is probably one of the finest reality shows on TV, hands down. Pure competition that takes the contestants and the viewers around the world. It also is full of "ugly American" moments that make me cringe every season. This season hasn't been so bad. There are plenty of good teams to root for; my personal favorites are the Globetrotters. I mean, seriously, how can you not root for the Harlem Globetrotters?

And this list doesn't include the weekly Viking's games. I mean, come on, we're at what, 5-0 right now? When's the last time that happened?

So there we go. I don't have any shows I watch on Thursday or Saturday, which is a good thing. It means I can get caught up if I don't have time to watch a show the day of. Maybe some of these surprised you. I don't watch any of the Fox Animation Domination shows. The Simpsons jumped the shark years ago as far as I'm concerned and I just stopped caring. And I hate Seth MacFarlane's shows. I do. Get over it.

You may also notice that I don't have anything beyond the broadcast networks. That's because we still don't have anything beyond bare-bones basic cable. I'd love to be able to include things like the Mythbusters or even (dare I say it) South Park, but I can't get them on TV. Maybe I'll need to see if they have episodes on-line.

Anyway, there you go. I don't have any idea what I'm going to do when V comes out. And I'm also a little nervous since I've heard rumors that Chuck may be coming back early due to early season cancellations on NBC. I'm not sure that I can cram anything else into that schedule.

Wordcount Wednesday

Well, it's been an interesting writing week for me. Really interesting.

For starters, I finished my swing through Numb. Lots of tuning up plus I cut about half a chapter due to some inconsistencies that would cause trouble for my story. So even though I added a new chapter a week ago, I'm still hovering right around where I should be. As of right now, Numb is clocking in at 80,483 words.

But one of my writing colleagues sent me some "bad" news. Apparently in the coming months, another book is coming out with the title Numb with a somewhat similar protagonist. Only mine doesn't have a circus in it and apparently that one does.

That probably means that I'll be trying to come up with a different title soon. I'm kind of miffed about that. "Numb" is one of the best titles I've ever come up with for a book. It describes Crusader, my protagonist, perfectly. Oh well. I know people can't copyright titles, so maybe I'll be able to keep it. We'll just have to wait and see.

But that's not the only thing that's come up in the previous week. I was hit with a blast from the past. I had to dust off [--TITLE REDACTED--], a Christian sci fi novel that I've been working on, off and on, for the past nine years. This could probably best be described as "the book of my heart." Even when I'm working on other writing projects, my mind keeps drifting back to it.

I'm not going to go into why I dusted this off. Not yet, anyway. I'll just say this: an interesting opportunity has presented itself, one that I'm getting pretty excited about.

But like I said, I'm not sure I can say much about it at this point, especially since I have some soul searching to do, some hard decisions to make.

So there you go. An interesting week, writing wise. I can't wait until I can share more.

The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction

One of the dangers of going to the ACFW National Conference is that I always come home with at least ten extra pounds of books stuffed in my suitcase. And on top of that, I usually have a list of books and resources that I have to find if I can.

This year the two were one and the same. While I bought a lot of fiction books to read, I also purchased a few new craft books. I've got a stack of books to be read on my dresser and I've peppered in the craft books in between the novels. I think it should be a good mix. So since I finished Exposure the other day, I moved on to The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction by Jeff Gerke.

Jeff is an astounding individual. He's published six novels himself, he's worked inside the Christian publishing industry and climbed up the corporate ladder in the process. He's a book doctor, website maintainer, and now the publisher of Marcher Lord Press. I first met Jeff last year at the ACFW Conference in Minneapolis (where I interviewed him for the CSFF Blog Tour). And as I said last year, I'm amazed at Jeff's heart for Christian fiction and those who write it. He's encouraging and thoughtful but not afraid to tell the brutal, honest truth.

He brings a lot of this wisdom and heart to this book. Basically this is a compilation of advice that he gave to readers in an e-column on his website, Where the Map Ends. Not every tip is here, but in this book, Jeff covers the basics. Why write Christian fiction? Who are you doing it for? How does POV work and what traps can a writer fall into? Jeff lays a solid foundation that's helpful to both beginners and the more experienced.

The cool thing is that while this is obviously crafted for the Christian author, I think non-Christian authors would benefit from it as well. The advice that Jeff gives is definitely not relegated solely to Christians.

Jeff's voice shines through every page. It's very strong. I truly appreciated that since Jeff obviously also has a heart for speculative fiction and many of his examples and asides came from speculative fiction of all types.

But don't let that throw you. If you want some good, solid advice on writing, you can't go far wrong with this book. I know I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel about editing and selling fiction.

Exposure

Newspaper column writer Kaycee Raye is a bundle of neuroses and phobias. She hates dentist drills, bees, heights, and enclosed spaces. But most of all, she thinks people are watching her. She tries to deal with her fears as best she can, channeling it into her nationally syndicated column and it actually helps.

Until her worst fears start to come true.

Pictures of a dead man appear in her house as if by magic, each one bearing messages that Kaycee is being watched. Even worse, tragedy strikes someone close to Kaycee and she begins to wonder if that's related to "them" watching her. Can she find her way out before it's too late?

That's the story of Exposure by Brandilyn Collins. This was a pretty good book. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. To be honest, I had the ending figured out about halfway through, but that's because I accidentally saw one line on the last page. It kind of pulled it all together for me and I realized what was happening. But not completely; I had my own theory about what was happening to Kaycee that turned out to be wrong. Oh well.

Brandilyn's writing is taut and thrilling. She builds up the suspense with each chapter and, like I said, keeps you guessing. Maybe if I hadn't ruined the ending for myself, I would have been guessing to the very end. I can't say for certain anymore. But I'd definitely recommend this.

Oh, and apparently, the FTC recently released a ruling or an opinion or something that says that bloggers such as as myself have to come clean about how we acquire the books that we review. So in the interest of fairness, I bought this book at the ACFW National Conference. So there you go.

Lord or Legend?

People will probably accuse me of going on a Gregory Boyd kick and in some ways, they'd be right. But when I saw the great deal that CBD was running on Lord or Legend? by Gregory Boyd and Paul Rhodes Eddy, I had to snatch it up and read it.

Basically Boyd and Eddy tackle one of the in vogue theories that's floating around concerning Jesus, namely that He is either in whole or in part mythical. You see this theory touted just about everywhere nowadays, either from the "august" members of the Jesus Seminar or the twerp who made that horrible film Zeitgeist. People point to the supposed parallels between the Jesus story of the New Testament and other mythic figures and they assume that somehow, that means that Jesus is legendary and you can't trust the New Testament.

That's quite a leap to make, and Boyd and Eddy do an excellent job showing why. They lay out a number of arguments why the New Testament is historically reliable. Most of those arguments I'm familiar with. I've seen them before. But Eddy and Boyd are a helpful addition because they put them all together in one helpful, quick read. Seriously, I knocked this off in about a day.

This book is intended for laypeople and so the discussion, while somewhat dense, never veers into the hypertechnical. For those of us who might appreciate the hypertechnical, they point to a longer and more scholarly work, namely The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition.

What I really appreciated about this book is the clear reiteration of something that I've read about in C. S. Lewis, namely that the reason why there are parallels between the Jesus story and other mythical stories is not because Christians copied the myths, but that the myths stem from a deeper longing for truth that Jesus ultimately fulfills. In other words, the myths copy Jesus, not the other way around. I can't really do the argument justice without plagiarizing Boyd and Eddy. So I'll just say, get a copy of this book and check it out. You won't be sorry you did.

Wordcount Wednesday

So I had hoped to get a bit deeper on what I'm hoping is part of the final polish on Numb. Well, maybe not the final one. Don't know what I'll find. For example, I think I'll need to take a sprint through and construct a time line for the whole story and backstory. I keep getting this feeling like I'm missing something there, like something doesn't quite sync up.

I had hoped to post a full wordcount but I can't. I'm only on chapter 17 of 48. I did add the chapter I mentioned last week, which came in at 1,614 words. I'll post a full wordcount after I make it through this read-through.

I've also sent out a few more hooks, some requested chapters, a proposal, a query. No word yet from any of it, but I'll keep all y'all posted on that also.

Back at it then.

Felicia Day Interview

I've become a huge fan of Felicia Day over the past year or so. Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog, The Guild, and Epitaph One, wow. Anyway, I saw that there was an interview with Ms. Day on TIME magazine's website and so I naturally hopped on over and read it.

Interesting stuff, especially given how honest she is about her addiction to on-line gaming. I really appreciated what she had to say about how she got addicted:

If you're a person who has kind of hole in their life, and you're looking for something to fill it, you're probably susceptible to any kind of addiction at that point. And for me, that was being unfulfilled by the kind of acting opportunities I was getting.

I could probably riff on the latent spiritual themes lurking within what she says (I mean, come on, we all have a hole in our lives that seeks to be filled) but I won't. Instead, I'll leave an open plea for the folks at Hollywood.

When Felicia Day is done with The Guild (and I'm not hoping that happens any time soon), someone give her steady work. She's good at what she does and I think she has an untapped following. I know I'd tune in.

Wordcount "Wednesday"

A day late but not necessarily a dollar short.

I really don't have a worcount update per se. Instead of working on books, I've been working on proposals. In the aftermath of the ACFW National Conference, I've been sending out material to editors and agents. One agent asked for a proposal on Numb. That went in the mail on Monday. Another editor asked for three chapters and a synopsis of Return of the Mourning Dove. That was bundled up and sent via e-mail on Tuesday night.

Over the past week, I learned I hate writing synopses. The Mourning Dove synopsis that I originally wrote was three and a half pages long. But with some major editing, I managed to cut it down to two pages, which seems to be the industry norm. Now I just have to wait and see what happens.

I was actually tempted to title this blog post "Bombs Away," but I'm trying to maintain a more positive attitude here.

While I wait, I'll be going back into those books to do some more editing. I have to add another chapter (I'm thinking) to Numb and then go through the succeeding chapters to harmonize it all. And there's a major change that needs to be made to Mourning Dove, a complete scene rewrite, plus lots of little edits, tweaks, and tightenings that need to be made.

Plus this week, I'm starting the brainstorm/mulching process for a book idea that my darling wife gave me last week. It has some fun potential, but right now, it's only a conflict concept between two characters.

And so long as I'm talking writing and books, have you placed your order at Marcher Lord Press yet? They have just released their third list of novels, all of them Christian sci-fi! And for the next few days, they're running bundle sales. You can pick up some really sweet stuff at a great price. Go go go!