Tag: Iola Goulton

9 March 2016

What is Christian fiction?

Is there an easy definition?

I write contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. But what does that mean? Last week, I looked at the easy part of this definition: contemporary romance. This week I’m getting to the harder part: defining Christian fiction. Or, rather, defining what Christian fiction isn’t.

Is Christian fiction defined by the publisher?

Some say Christian fiction is fiction published by Christian publishers, except publishers can’t be Christian. Only authors can. Christian fiction might be novels published by members of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, but that excludes self-published authors and non-evangelical publishers targeting a specific denomination, such as Roman Catholic.

No, it’s not about the publisher.

Is Christian fiction defined by the seller?

Some say Christian fiction is fiction sold in Christian bookstores, members of the CBA (The Association for Christian Retail, formerly the Christian Booksellers Association). But Christian stores tend to only stock books from major ECPA publishers which ignores self-published authors, non-evangelical publishers, and many small publishers. And fiction from ECPA publishers isn’t just sold at CBA stores—it’s also sold at Barnes & Noble, Walmart and Amazon.

No, it’s not about where it’s sold.

Is Christian fiction defined by the author?

Some say Christian fiction is novels published by Christian authors, on the basis that as a Christian, your beliefs should come through in everything you write, “Christian fiction” or not:

Every story choice you make arises out of who you are, at the deepest levels of your soul; and every story you tell reveals who you are and the way you conceive the world around you.

Characters and Viewpoint, Orson Scott Card

I understand the sentiment. I agree with it. But being a Christian doesn’t automatically make what you write ‘Christian’.

No, it’s not about the author.

Is Christian fiction defined by the content?

A lot of people seem to define Christian fiction—especially Christian romance—by the content. But it’s often a list of content which shouldn’t be included: no sex. No graphic violence. No swearing. No smoking. No drugs. No gambling. Perhaps no dancing and no alcohol and no mention of Halloween. But Christianity is about what we believe, not what we do (or don’t do).

No, it’s not about the content.

Is Christian fiction defined by the world view?

Some say Christian fiction is those novels written from a Christian world view. That sounds reasonable . . . if we could agree on what that means. One view is that a Christian world view means the absence of postmodernism:

What is postmodernism? In simplest terms, it means we no longer believe in absolutes. Everything is relative . . . In postmodern literature, the author isn’t saying anything . . . you, the reader, have to decide what the text is saying to you.

Writing to a Post-Christian World, Ann Tatlock

That makes sense to me. But all these things are telling us what Christian fiction isn’t.

Not what it is.

So what is it?

Authors Terry Burns and Linda W Yezak address the question in their book, Writing in Obedience: A Primer for Writing Christian Fiction. Reading Writing in Obedience was a lightbulb moment for me. It’s a conversation I’ve been having with myself (and others), and the authors provide the best explanation I’ve seen. I’m going to summarise it here, but I do recommend you buy the book to read it for yourself.

First, the authors quote the definition of Christian fiction provided by Francine Rivers:

If you pull out the Christian thread from the plot and the plot unravels, it’s Christian fiction.

Some novels are more overtly Christian than others, and this may well depend on genre. It’s perhaps easier to have a Christian romance novel than a Christian fantasy novel (JRR Tolkien was a Christian, but this doesn’t make Lord of the Rings Christian fiction. Great fiction, sure. Just not great Christian fiction).

Four Categories of Christian Fiction

Anyway, Burns and Yezak divide Christian fiction into four categories:

Fiction written for believers
Fiction written for unbelievers
Fiction written for backsliders
Fiction written for seekers

Believers want Christian fiction which wrestles with issues of faith, and they want to see the Christian main character emerge victorious. I’d agree. But it’s preaching to the choir, and we’re called to spread the gospel—which isn’t to say the choir doesn’t need help. It does.

Thankfully, not everyone is called to write for the choir. Some are called to write for unbelievers, backsliders and seekers, and this means adopting a different style of writing. The underlying theme and message may well be the same, but it has to be delivered in a way the reader wants. In this respect, Burns and Yezak say:

We should never share our faith directly with the reader. As soon as the reader realizes the author is talking directly to him, the book becomes preachy, and the chance he’ll put it down goes up significantly.

I believe this shows why many Christian authors are choosing to write fiction of a more “edgy” nature, or choosing to leave specific references to God and Jesus out of their stories: to reach backsliders, seekers and unbelievers. These are markets which desperately need to be reached, and perhaps can’t be reached through the traditional CBA market.

For example, Lion Hudson, the main Christian publisher in the UK, say they can’t sell books that mention Jesus or have an overt conversion scene, as their readers are typically disenfranchised with organised religion: they are predominantly backsliders or unbelievers. (Please don’t think that means there are no Christians in the UK. I lived there for ten years and I know there are. But they tend to read either general market fiction, or Christian fiction from US authors).

I commend those who are writing for backsliders, unbelievers and seekers, those who have to strike the balance between writing Christian fiction and being a Christian who writes fiction. It’s not an easy task.

For myself, I believe I’m called to write for Christians. To write Christian fiction.

Good Christian fiction.

Good Christian fiction, in my opinion, should feature characters who are Christians, or who come to Christ in the course of the story. Good Christian fiction (especially romance) should be about more than the romantic tension between the hero and heroine.

Good Christian fiction should show the spiritual growth of either the hero or heroine, with the level of spiritual growth depending on their individual starting points. Just as in real life, we don’t get saved and suddenly become super-Christians who know everything (if only!). Christian life is about obedience to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2). There would be no point if we were perfect.

Good Christian fiction has to reflect this truth: life is full of imperfect Christians trying to be real and live for God in a fallen world, working out our faith in fear and trembling and allowing God to work in us. It’s about reflecting God in what we write, about allowing Him to work in and and through us, in our writing and in everything we do.

So that’s Christian fiction. What do you think?

I’ll be back next week to talk about the Kiwi twist.

5 March 2016

Book Recommendation: Making Marion by Beth Moran

Making Marion by Beth Moran

An Outstanding Contemporary Christian Romance Novel

If you’ve signed up for my monthly Newsletter, you’ll already have receive my entirely biased list of 50 novels from my favourite Christian authors. Today I’m reviewing Making Marion by Beth Moran, a contemporary Christian romance novel I enjoyed for the characters, the writing, and the memories of living in England. This review previously appeared on my reviewing blog, Iola’s Christian Reads.

Book Description

(from the back cover, as there doesn’t seem to be a description on Amazon)

Where’s Robin Hood when you need him?

Marion Miller comes to Sherwood Forest to uncover her father’s mysterious past. She is looking for somewhere to stay, but instead finds herself on the wrong side of the reception desk at the Peace and Pigs campsite. Despite her horrible shyness, she promptly lands herself a job working for the big-hearted and irrepressible Scarlett.

It takes all of Marion’s determination to come out of her shell and get to grips with life on a busy campsite, where even the chickens seem determined to thwart her. Then an unfortunate incident with a runaway bike throws her into the arms of the beautiful, but deeply unimpressed, Reuben.

Can Marion discover her father’s secret? And will she find peace, and perhaps even love, among the pigs?

My Review

Making Marion isn’t a novel for the ultra-conservative Christian reader. It has a distinctly British flavour in terms of language, content, and plot. Marion has a lot of issues in her past, and these are addressed through humour (like Bridget Jones) rather than angst (as used by, say, Karen Kingsbury). I found the sometimes irreverent humour made the hard parts easier to read, but some readers might find that same humour to be disrespectful or offensive.

The plot was good, and the characters, especially Marion and Scarlett were excellent, and the writing was probably the best I’ve come across from a British author, with a subtle theme of love and forgiveness. The present story was regularly interspersed with flashbacks to Marion’s past, which showed us something of the events which had shaped her, and how much she had to forgive.

Recommended for those looking for the depth of Sally Bradley and Varina Denman with the humour of Bridget Jones.

2 March 2016

What is Contemporary Christian Romance?

I write contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist.

But what does contemporary Christian romance mean . . . and how do you know if it’s something you’re interested in?

Contemporary

Well, contemporary is relatively easy to define. It’s set now. In the present. Or perhaps the recent past, if the book is part of a series (because almost all series move forward in time with each successive book, whether it’s by years, months or mere days). Some people define contemporary as anything after 1950, but as a reader, I disagree: contemporary has to feel like now, complete with the internet, social media and 24/7 connectivity.

Romance

Romance is also pretty easy to define. Romance Writers of America, the leading voice of the genre, define romance as having a central love story, and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Put simply, romance readers expect a happy ever after (HEA) ending, and for the romance to be the core element of the plot, a some minor subplot.

Christian

Christian . . . now, that’s a little more difficult. It’s often referred to as inspirational romance, in that Romance Writers of America define inspirational romance as “religious or spiritual beliefs (in the context of any religious or spiritual belief system) are an integral part of the plot.” A lot of inspirational romance is simply that: inspirational, perhaps morally uplifting, without the focus on sex found in most modern romance novels. Such novels might be inspirational, but don’t always feel especially Christian— I’d like to think being a Christian is a little more than being religious or inspirational or focusing on fleeting feelings.

As we know, the word ‘Christian’ describes a wide range of belief—Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican (or Episcopalian if you’re from the USA), Baptist, Pentecostal. Most Christian fiction steers away from referring to specific denominations, but tends to be at the conservative evangelical end of the Christian spectrum (in part, because one of the largest Christian book chains, Lifeway Christian Resources, is owned by the Southern Baptist Convention and won’t stock anything that runs counter to their beliefs).

Even so, many of these Inspirational Romance novels are ‘Christian-lite’, featuring characters who go to church but don’t seem to pray or read their Bibles except on Sunday. Others are ‘Christian-heavy’, overdosing on preaching and sermons and characters who can’t seem to utter more than a few words without throwing in a Scripture quotation . . . which breaks the number one writing rule, of show, don’t tell. It’s a fine balance, as different readers are looking for different levels of Christian content.

So what is Christian fiction? And Christian romance? I’ll discuss it more next week, but meanwhile, what do you think? What are you looking for when you pick up a Christian novel?

24 February 2016

What Are You Reading?

What have you been reading in February?

What Christian fiction have you been reading over the last month? And what are you planning to read in March? Here are my recommended reads from February, and what I’ll be reading in March.

The best novels I’ve read over the last couple of months were:

Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke (click here to read my review)

When Fall Fades by Amy Leigh Simpson (click here to read my review)

If I Run by Terri Blackstock (click here to read my review)

The Goodbye Bride by Denise Hunter (click here to read my review)

And I’ve got some great authors on my list to read and review in March, including Flirtation Walk by Siri Mitchell, Playing the Part by Jen Turano, Grime Spree by Marji Lane and Life Support by Candace Calvert.

And two local authors: The Pounamu Prophecy, the debut novel from Kiwi author Cindy Williams, and Replicate by Adele Jones.

What are you planning to read in March?

17 February 2016

The Pursuit of . . . Sin?

As you may know, in my ‘other’ life I’m a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction. I’ve recently finished a manuscript assessment for Australian author Jo Wanmer, and while it’s still a draft full of spelling mistakes and missing commas, the powerful Christian message is shining through.

One of the main threads in the novel is the relationship between Milly, the main character, and God. Jo Wanmer shows God speaking directly to Milly, and I thought many of the conversations were excellent as they show how God desires a relationship with us, and how that means being real with Him (Milly rages at Him, blames Him, and doesn’t mince words in her conversations with Him). It also shows God has a sense of humour, which some readers might find a little irreverent but which I loved.

One snippet from one conversation in particular struck me (with God in bold):

Such is the consequence of man’s decision to choose knowledge instead of relationship with me.
I thought mankind sinned?
That’s what I said.

Now, I’ve read Genesis. In several versions of the Bible. I understand Adam and Eve’s sin wasn’t nakedness (covering themselves was a physical gesture of a spiritual problem, trying to cover their sin). Their sin was disobedience, in eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil after they had specifically been told not to eat fruit from that one tree. They were tempted by the devil, and gave in to that temptation.

But this short excerpt from Jo’s novel brought their sin home in a new way: their sin was the pursuit of knowledge. They wanted that knowledge enough to disobey God. To break that relationship with God, through their disobedience.

And they both chose this, Adam as well as Eve. Eve didn’t force the fruit down his throat. He took it willingly, perhaps because he wanted that knowledge, or perhaps because he wanted to please Eve more than he wanted to please God.

It wasn’t just the pursuit of knowledge—there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with pursuing knowledge, even though Solomon describes knowledge as vanity. Meaningless. Futile.

The problem was choosing the pursuit of knowledge over the pursuit of relationship with God, with Jesus.

That’s sin.

It’s a sin we see in the world around us all the time.

There are other, similar, sins. For example, when writing to Timothy, Paul says the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10). He didn’t say money is the root of all evil, but the love of money.

It’s like the love of knowledge.

The love of money leads us to pursue money when we should be pursuing relationship with Jesus.

Earning money, having money, isn’t wrong. It isn’t sin. But loving and pursuing money to the exclusion of relationship with Jesus is wrong. It is sin.

And happiness. Many people in the Western world believe the purpose of life is the pursuit of happiness. Hey, it’s even the title of a movie. Trying to be happy isn’t wrong—it sure beats trying to be unhappy. But pursuing happiness at the expense of relationship with Jesus is wrong. It is sin.

As Jesus says:

Seek God first. Jesus first.

Anything else is sin.

Seek relationship with Jesus. Then the other things will be added to us. But not as some kind of if-you-do-x-God-will-give-you-y pseudo prosperity doctrine. Seek God first. Because anything else is sin.

Seek God first. Then the other things will be added to us. Those other things might be knowledge, money, happiness. But they might also be health, home, joy. And like Paul, we must learn to be content, to accept His gifts and not seek senselessly after knowledge, money, happiness or anything else. In that we will find God’s joy.

Everything else is meaningless.

10 February 2016

Thunderbirds Are Go!

During the Christmas holidays, our family visited Weta Workshop in Wellington. As well as being the home of hobbits and all things Lord of the Rings, it is also the studio for the reimagined Thunderbirds TV series, which combines traditional model sets with digital animation.

For those of you who have suffered a deprived upbringing, Thunderbirds was a 1960’s TV show brought to the screens by husband and wife team Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, using their original puppets and the wonders of Supermarionation. The Thunderbirds are the Tracy brothers, Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon, and Alan, who travel the world in their high-tech machines, saving the lives of those caught in disasters.

The 1960’s series has now been reimagined by Richard Taylor of Weta Worskhops, and we were privileged to be able to see inside the magic of Tracy Island. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take any photographs because the images are all copyright (and because we actually got a sneak peek at some of the as-yet-unseen sets from the upcoming second series). However, I did find some cool images on Google from various promotions for the show:

There were two things about Thunderbirds Are Go! which surprised me.

The first was that Thunderbirds Are Go! is more than just a Weta Workshops production. It’s actually a joint production between Pukeko Pictures (part-owned by Richard Taylor of Weta Workshops) and ITV Studios. Weta Workshops has constructed the sets, including two different versions of Tracy Island (as an aside,the books on the shelf are all real current books. Our guide made them, using book covers she downloaded from the internet).

But it’s not solely a Kiwi production. This version has digitised characters, not puppets, and the animation is done offshore. As are the scripts. And the voices. The New Zealand end of the show brings everything together, but it’s a global effort (kind of like writing a book).

The second thing was even more surprising. It was the sets. They looked great even under the standard lighting. I could see they’d look even better under proper studio lighting.

But they were made of junk.

Not everything was junk, but there was a lot of junk, and our guide took a lot of pleasure in pointing out all the junk.

For example, The Hood is the main evildoer in Thunderbirds. He’s got longstanding issues with the Tracy family. And because he’s a bad guy, he has a lair that’s largely decorated in shades of black and grey.

It’s junk.

The Hood’s lair includes the insides of two washing machines, the casings of old desktop computers (from back when computer screens were as deep as they were wide), razor blades, fans, the leftover plastic bits from after you’ve constructed a model airplane . . . junk.

But add a fair dose of creativity, a few dozen cans of spray paint and some clever lighting, and you’ve got an ultra-cool lair fit for an evildoer. All from junk I’d have chucked out years ago.

It made me think of us. And God.

Sometimes we think we’re junk. That there’s nothing useful in us. That we’re only good for the rubbish tip.

But we’re God’s junk. He redesigns us, repurposes us, redirects us. Shines His light into us.

And turn us into ultra-cool sons and daughters fit for the King.

27 January 2016

The Department of Lies

Christmas in New Zealand is in the summer, so it’s the time the kids have their long summer holiday, and the time businesses reduce or close their operations and we all go off on our summer holidays.

This year, we went to Wellington for Christmas. While we were there, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit Weta Workshops, the world-famous home of hobbits, trolls, and all things Lord of the Rings.

While Weta Workshops is most famous for their work on the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies, they actually make physical movie props for a range of movies, from District 12 to Avatar (although that was largely the work of their associated organisation, Weta Digital, who do all the computer animation).

Our guide took us through the design process, showing us how it could take dozens or hundreds of sketches before a design was approved. How a plastic mould was then created—over 80% of the props, from the firearms to the swords to the vehicles, are made of plastic.

She then told us how the plastic models were turned over to the painting department: The Department of Lies.

Why the Department of Lies?

Because they take shaped white plastic and turn it into something it isn’t: a wooden gun, a leather shield, a metal sword. They can make it look new, or they can make it look old. It’s all just spray paint and plastic.

Plastic looks good, but lacks any functionality. A plastic sword won’t cut anything. Won’t hurt anyone. A plastic shield won’t protect an actor from anything other than plastic sword.

The plastic looks good, but it’s not perfect. Modern digital cameras are so powerful, they still need to use real props for the close-up shots. Real swords. Real knives. Real shields.

It struck me that the Father of Lies takes the same approach. He takes the real thing, and substitutes it for a fake. We can only tell the difference if we look carefully, and if we know what the real thing looks like.

And only the real thing will protect us.

That means spending time with God, in His Word, ensuring we know the real thing so we can see the lie. It means spending time with other Christians, learning from them, as iron sharpens iron.

Because we don’t want to be stuck with a plastic sword when the Father of Lies comes against us with the real thing.

Meanwhile, now I know it’s all makeup and plastic swords, it’s going to be difficult to be afraid of those orcs!

20 January 2016

Be Thou My Vision

I’ve recently finished reading The Wonder of You by Susan May Warren, in which the heroine was influenced by the old Celtic hymn, Be Thou My Vision. By some strange coincidence (or God-incidence), three of the novels I read over the next two weeks also referenced this same hymn.

It struck me that now, at the beginning of the year, is a good time to reconsider this hymn and what it has to say to me. To us.

Be Thou My Vision

What is my vision for 2016? What is God’s vision for me? And what am I going to do to achieve that vision?

I’ve been reminded that I need to plan in order to achieve. Things don’t just happen. Well, they do. But ‘things that just happen’ usually take us off the planned path. Without a planned path, we have no way of knowing if we are heading in the right direction. And without a planned path, we have no way of getting back on that path when ‘things’ take us off.

I need that vision, and I need a plan for getting there. And planning TO do one thing may well mean I have to give up something else.

Be Thou my Wisdom

Along with vision, I need wisdom. Wisdom to show me the right path. Wisdom to show me the way back to the path. Wisdom to prevent me going down the wrong path. Wisdom to listen to the warnings of others.

Riches I Heed Not, Nor Man’s Empty Praise

Remind me that the focus is on God and His Vision, His reward. Success is defined by God and His vision for me, not by my family, friends, acquaintances . . . or the people who don’t know me.

Remind me that my success will be based on my obedience to God and His vision, that if I am obedient to God, I will have exactly the level of success He desires for me.

Remind me that God alone defines success, and while it might be riches and the praise of men, it may not. Remind me that God’s riches and praise are worth an infinite amount more than the riches and praise of men. And women.

Amen.

1 January 2016

Introducing Iola Goulton . . .

My name is Iola Goulton, and I am a writer.

Specifically, I write Contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist.

Part of me is exhilarated by the prospect of this new journey. Part of me is petrified.

It’s not just the “normal” new author nerves about putting my writing out into the world. I’ve been doing that in a small way for years, first with my book review blog, Iola’s Christian Reads, and then with my freelance editing website, Christian Editing Services. And I regularly contribute to two group blogs, Australasian Christian Writers and Suspense Sisters Reviews, so it’s not that I’m uncomfortable with sharing my opinions.

What I am apprehensive about is some of the opinions I’ve expressed in the past, and how they might impact on or influence my fiction writing. As a reviewer, I’ve often been blunt about what I have or haven’t liked in the novels I’ve read—if I’m honest, that bluntness comes across more often in what I don’t like.

As a freelance editor, I’ve often been blunt about the writing issues I’ve found in novels I’ve read. And I’ve given a lot of advice on various writing topics, including genre, and point of view. I’ve also been less than impressed when authors have committed the very writing crimes they preach against.

And that’s what I’m most nervous about.

I don’t want to commit the crimes I’ve preached against. Of course, this doesn’t mean my novels will be perfect, rather, that I’ll make different mistakes.

Logic says there is no such thing as a perfect novel. Apart from anything else, all readers are different and looking for different things in their fiction. I’m not going to please all of the readers all of the time. My best hope is to please some of the readers most of the time.

And who are those “some readers”?

Readers who are looking for contemporary Christian romance that’s a little different: something slightly edgy, with a little humour, and a unique setting—the Kiwi twist.

If that’s you, welcome. It’s lovely to meet you. Have a seat, introduce yourself, and I’ll be back next week to introduce you to some of my favourite places.