Four years ago, I joined a local Christian writer's group. I was struggling. I felt a deep call to write, but wasn't sure which direction or which genre to pursue. One talented writer in the group, Cheryl Bader, read chapters each month from her youth fantasy, MAKER'S POOL. I was captivated, and reminded of the kind of stories I love: stories full of creative images, subtle symbol, and character growth. Inspired by her work, I began to write THE RESTORER (which will be coming out with NavPress in May, 2007). She was one of my early readers and a critiquer for all my novels.
Cheryl, and her husband Bill, also introduced me (via their knowledge) to the work of other speculative fiction writers in the Christian community: Kathy Tyers, Karen Hancock, and Randy Ingermanson. When I headed off to my first writing conference, Randy helped guide me through the process of seeking an agent.
I'm thrilled to highlight Bill and Cheryl's wonderful site, Edenstar Books and Games. It has been a labor of love for them both. Not content to merely list titles, they designed a site that is appealing and easy to navigate, full of terrific information and honest reviews.
Check back tomorrow for my interview with Edenstar's designer, Cheryl Bader!
And over the next few days, you can visit these other bloggers who will be featuring Edenstar.
Jim Black
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Bryan Davis
Beth Goddard
Leathel Grody
Karen Hancock
Elliot Hanowski
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Jason Joyner
Tina Kulesa
Kevin Lucia
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Cheryl Russel
Mirtika Schultz
Stuart Stockton
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Blessings!
Sharon Hinck
(speculative fiction writer and fan)
4 comments:
Wow Sharon!
I didn't realize your knew Edenstar's creators. What an awesome story:)
Beth.
I wouldn't be a novelist today if it weren't for Cheryl and the rest of Word Servants (they get a big thank you in my acknowledgements for THE SECRET LIFE OF BECKY MILLER). I tiptoed gingerly into the writing world after being very burnt-out from some other art/ministry work. I wasn't at all sure I wanted to pour my heart into new work. Cheryl lit up when I read my first chapter of RESTORER and kept me going during the many months of writing, revising, and submitting it. She prayed with me when I was close to giving up. Bill and Cheryl are heroes. :-)
I'd love to hear more about your writing journey sometime. It appears it didn't take you long at all to realize your dreams. . .while for others it takes many years, which can be frustrating.
Beth.
Hi,S.P.,
Thanks for dropping by - and reassuring me that you don't have to be a highschool boy to like sci-fi/fantasy. :-)
Hi again, Beth.
I'd love to chat sometime. In some ways my journey was relatively short (I've been writing novels full time for only four years) but in other ways, it's been a long and very winding road. I began writing for publication in the mid 1980s, and later directed a Christian arts group for ten years. My novel THE RESTORER actually began from the seed of a script I'd never finished developing for that company.
I wrote THE SECRET LIFE OF BECKY MILLER in about five months...but it took over forty years to write (if you include the observation, analyzing, life experience, and writing practice that all had to come first) :-)
Hugs, Sharon
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