Northwest Book Tour Travel Day

I am sitting at the Nashville, TN, airport waiting to take off to the state of Washington for my ten-day book tour. I will be traveling all day, and I will begin my tour tomorrow. I hope to keep my blog up to date with stories from my school, homeschool group, and bookstore appearances.

Stay tuned!

Change to Schedule in Washington

I posted that I had a book signing scheduled in Federal Way, WA, on November 13. That was moved to Monday, November 12, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Here are the details.

November 12 - 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Family Christian Store
31835 Pacific Highway South
Federal Way, WA 98003
(253) 839-3920

Preparing for a journey to the Northwest

I will be in Spokane and in the Seattle area in November, so the weather here in western Tennessee has been perfect for training. Today is our fourth consecutive day of rain, wind, and cold. I know Seattle veterans are probably saying, "Only four?" but I have to get used to it a little at a time. Last year when I visited Seattle it rained for ten consecutive days, so I have felt your pain.

Below is my schedule for that visit so far. I hope my readers in the Northwest will make plans to come out and see me. I would love to meet you and sign any books you would want signed. I might add a couple of appearances, so keep an eye on my online schedule at this link.

There are still a few openings in my schedule in the Northwest, so if you want me to visit your school or group, please let me know as soon as possible.

November 8 - All day

Salk Middle School

6411 N Alberta St
Spokane, WA 99208
(509) 354-5600

November 9 - 9:30 am to 10:30 am

Northwest Christian Elementary School

1412 W. Central Ave

Spokane, WA 99205

(509) 328-4400

November 9 - 12:30 pm to 2:45 pm

Shaw Middle School

4106 N Cook St
Spokane, WA 99207
(509) 354-5800

November 9 - 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Book Signing

Christian Supply Store

9310 N. Division

Spokane, WA 99218

(509) 487-6942

November 10 - 11:00 am to 1:30 pm

Book Signing

Barnes & Noble

Market Pointe I Shopping Center
15310 E. Indiana Ave.
Spokane, WA 99216
509-922-4104

November 12 - 10:30 to 12 noon

Homeschool Class

Lighthouse Christian Center

10711 80th Ave. East

Pulayllup, WA 98373

November 12 - 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Family Christian Store

31835 Pacific Highway South

Federal Way, WA 98003

(253) 839-3920

November 13 - 9:00 am to 9:45 am

Chapel Speaker

The Bear Creek School
8905 208th Avenue NE
Redmond, WA 98053

November 13 - 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Homeschool Group meeting

Faith Baptist Church

7652 Old Olympic Highway

Sequim, WA

November 14 - 10:00 am to 3:30 pm

Homeschool group classes

Lighthouse Christian Center

10711 80th Ave. East

Pulayllup, WA 98373

November 15 and 16 All day

M.E.I. Middle School

4081B Clearbrook Rd.

Abbotsford, B.C.

V4X 2M8

November 17 - 8:00 am to 10:00 am

House of James Bookstore

2743 Emerson Street
Abbotsford BC V2T 4H8

New Christian Online Store

I'd like to highlight a new Christian web store called "All Things Christian." It's more than a store; it's a ministry. You will find it by clicking here.

Here is a quote from their website:

First and foremost, we donate 25% of our profits back to the Christian Community! Ministries like Focus on the Family, Campus Crusade, Compassion International, World Vision, and many more, are benefiting through your purchases. This is not your run of the mill Christian bookstore. Not only do we sell the usual stock of Christian Books, Music, Gifts, Movies, Bibles, and Church Resources, but we want to be here for you. We offer parent resources and websites for parents. We direct you to wonderful links for bible study and online bible lookups. We also want to offer pray and support to you. You can request prayer that will stay anonymous, or you can request to have it posted to our site so that all visitors can come together and pray. Nothing beats the power of prayer.

The store was also kind enough to set up a page just for my books. It looks great. Click Here.

If you want to support a store that isn't there just for profit, try them out.

Harry Potter removes his mask

I have criticized the Harry Potter series many times, and in my efforts, I sometimes felt alone among authors of my genre. I am hoping that after J. K. Rowling's recent revelation, my lonely voice among Christian fantasy authors will change.

It seems that Ms. Rowling has publicly revealed her true intent, to promote acceptance of homosexuality and to encourage rebellious attitudes. I knew of the second intent long ago, but the promotion of homosexuality came as a mild surprise.

Here is an article from cnn.com: Click Here

"Dumbledore is gay," the author responded to gasps and applause.

So, the only wise authority figure in the story has a sinful sexual orientation, and Rowling is proud of this fact. It comes as no surprise that Ms. Rowling's admirers would applaud this revelation. Such is the unbiblical world view of this author and many of her fans.

Here is another interesting excerpt:

Rowling, finishing a brief "Open Book Tour" of the United States, her first tour here since 2000, also said that she regarded her Potter books as a "prolonged argument for tolerance' and urged her fans to "question authority."

It seems that she admits to using these books to promote acceptance of what most Christians would consider a sinful deviation God's design, as well as an attitude that would be suspicious of authority. Now no one can argue that she didn't have this intent.

One more excerpt:

Not everyone likes her work, Rowling said, likely referring to Christian groups that have alleged the books promote witchcraft. Her news about Dumbledore, she said, will give them one more reason.

And rightly so. This announcement should give Christians reason not to like her work. Her motivations are directly opposed to the biblical truth that homosexuality is an abomination to God (Leviticus 18:22) and that fostering rebellious attitudes is akin to causing little ones to stumble, an extremely dangerous offense.

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matthew 18:6)

I hope this revelation puts a nail in the HP coffin, and I pray that Christians who support Ms. Rowling's harmful material will finally see the light. I might get flamed for posting this opinion and for slamming another author, but highlighting the intent behind these books, and the fact that they are a dangerous influence in our culture, is a responsibility I can't ignore.
*****
Since I first posted this, I have received a couple of critical comments. Because of one of these comments, a heart-felt plea for compassion, I have edited this post in order to choose words that are less likely to be misunderstood.

I'm also adding some thoughts from my response to that comment, because it would be wrong for me to overlook the commenter's plea. His sincerity was touching and deserves much more than a passing glance. (For the rest of my response, see the comments section.)

Disapproval of homosexuality doesn’t equate to hatred. I don’t hate anyone who claims a homosexual orientation. What I believe about it is grounded in Scripture, and I don’t believe God creates anyone that way. Such a belief should not lead anyone to think that I have any hatred or lack compassion.

True compassion involves helping someone out of a problem, not saying it’s okay to be there. It is showing someone the way out of sin, not making someone feel comfortable in it. Ms. Rowling wants people to be comfortable with homosexuality. I want people to leave it behind and find true freedom in Christ. That's what real compassion is all about.

Last of the Nephilim Cover

I thought you might want to get a look at the next Oracles of Fire book cover. It's called Last of the Nephilim, and it should be out in the spring of 2008, the Lord willing. For a larger image, click here.

If readers of Enoch's Ghost would like to guess who the two girls on the cover are, go ahead and post your guess. No fair posting the answer if I have already told you or you learned it through my message forum.

If you are so inclined, please pray for me as I write. I have a lot of work to do, and, it seems, not enough time to do it. God has always strengthened me in the past, and I trust that He will do so again, but I would appreciate prayer from God's faithful.

Thank you for praying for my daughter

Many of you know that my daughter Amanda fell from her horse on September 2 and broke her femur. She is now walking short distances without her crutches. Although she still has pain, especially in her knee, her recovery has been remarkably fast.

We are thankful to God for this progress, and I thank all of you who have prayed for her.

God is good, all the time.

Florida Christian Writers' Conference: Teens & Scholarships

It's not too early to plan for the 2008 Florida Christian Writers' Conference. I will be teaching the Teen Track, so I hope many of my readers who also enjoy writing will want to come to the conference.

Here is the website: Click Here

There are scholarships available for teenagers. Please see this link for more information.

We are not setting a specific due date for applications but will begin awarding scholarships immediately based on application essays and need. Once the scholarships are awarded, we will stop accepting applications. Please send application essays and contact information to me at flwriters@dragonsinourmidst.com

New Book Cover

Here is a first look at Beyond the Reflection's Edge, book #1 in my new series, Echoes from the Edge. It is unrelated to my other books, but it is a contemporary fantasy/mystery blend for the same age group.

The basic plot: Nathan Shepherd, sixteen years old, loses his parents as the result of a double murder. In order to be safe from the murderers, Nathan goes to live with a new family, his father’s old college buddy and his teenage daughter, Kelly.

A strange mirror in Nathan’s bedroom sometimes shows images that aren’t in front of it, including past events, unfamiliar scenes, and people who are supposed to be dead. Nathan obtains his mother’s violin, which plays beautiful music along with voices that only Kelly can hear. Nathan also inherits his father’s camera, which takes photos of people and places that aren’t there ... or at least they don't seem to be there.

These odd devices launch Nathan and Kelly on an exciting journey through multiple dimensions as they track down the mysteries surrounding the deaths of Nathan’s parents. They soon learn that the cosmic fabric that separates the dimensions is crumbling, leading to a potential catastrophic event called interfinity. As they try to prevent this end-of-the-worlds disaster, their own efforts add to the interdimensional deterioration, forcing them to make one life-and-death choice after another.

I'm very excited about this series. Pre-publication readers are giving me great reviews. Look for it to come out in May of 2008. I will give updates on my blog and newsletter as the time gets closer.

Progress Update

I am working on the second book of the Echoes from the Edge series. I passed the 40,000 word mark, so it is definitely in high gear now. I expect to finish it by the end of October.

I will begin working on Last of the Nephilim immediately afterwards. That one should go very quickly.

Post Deleted

Dallas and Longview, Texas, area Appearances

I will be in Texas later this week, specifically in Longview and Dallas. My schedule is below. If you live in the area and have time to come out and see me, I would love to meet you.

September 20 - 1:30 to 5:00 pm

Homeschool Group

Letourneau University

Education Building - Room 120

2100 South Mobberly

Longview, TX

September 21 - 1:30 to 2:30 pm

Speaking to combined literature classes

LeTourneau University

2100 South Mobberly

Longview, TX

September 22 - 12 noon to 2:00 pm

Mardel Christian Store

2300 Coit Road, Ste. 100

Plano, TX

September 22 - 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Mardel Christian Store

3714 Lavon Drive

Garland, TX

My daughter is home

After falling off her horse and breaking her femur, my daughter Amanda (known to some of you as Legossi) had surgery to insert a rod through her bone. Because of this, she will not have a cast, but the rod will stay in her thigh for the rest of her life.

She is now recovering at home. She is able to get around on crutches for short distances and is still in considerable pain. We appreciate your continued prayers.

Prayer for my daughter Amanda

My 16-year-old daughter, Amanda, fell off her horse yesterday and broke her femur. She had has two surgical procedures to repair it. She now has a hard road of therapy ahead.

I would appreciate it if you would pray for her recovery.

What about Billy and Bonnie?

I have been flooded with e-mails and message forum posts asking what happened to Billy and Bonnie, the two main characters from the Dragons in our Midst (DIOM) series. Apparently many readers expected to learn of their fate in Enoch's Ghost, the sequel to DIOM.

Enoch's Ghost is part of a new series, so it has new main characters. Billy and Bonnie are mentioned in the book, but other characters take center stage. Some readers weren't expecting that, so they were confused and/or disappointed.

Don't worry. I'm planning on bringing Billy and Bonnie back, but readers will have to be patient a little while longer. My next book, Last of the Nephilim, will continue to feature the new characters, but in the fourth book, The Bones of Makaidos, if all goes according to plan, Billy and Bonnie will return and play crucial roles in the story.

Please spread this news to other readers. I'm sure they'll be happy to hear it.

Back to Editing

I received the detailed edits from Zondervan for Beyond the Reflection's Edge. Whew! I have a lot of work to do! That means I might not be posting much for a while, unless some important news pops up.

Montrose Conference - final day

This has been one of the busiest conferences I have ever attended. I taught nine workshop sessions, did a keynote address, critiqued many manuscripts, and conducted a critique group that lasted over four hours.

Since I taught the Teen Track, I met a dozen or so wonderful teenagers who are dedicated to writing. Many of them were quite good at the craft, and they seemed to learn a lot. At the critique group, we had a great time going over their work. Although it lasted almost until midnight, laughter kept us awake. We had a blast.

I have enjoyed this conference greatly. It is well run, the organizers are friendly and helpful, and the conferees have been a delight. Not only that, the food was super. I have to exercise extra hard when I get home.

Montrose Writers Conference

I will be at the Montrose Writers Conference next week. I'm not sure if I will have the chance to enter any blog posts during that time. If anything earth-shaking comes up, I will try to let my faithful readers know.

I would appreciate prayer for travel safety. Thank you for your support!

Fantasy Fiction Tour Ends - Or Does It?

The 2007 Fantasy Fiction Tour has come to an end ... at least for now. But with so many seeds planted on the east side of the U.S., and with Wayne Batson appearing on national television, I expect that the groundswell for Christian fantasy will continue to grow.

I also expect that we will do another tour next year, if not in conjunction with ICRS in Orlando in 2008, then maybe during the school year so we can visit schools and homeschool groups along the way.

I'm posting the final three tour videos below. Enjoy!

Fantasy Fiction Tour Last Sunrise

It's the morning of the last day of the Fantasy Fiction Tour. It's raining steadily at my host family's home in New Jersey. At about 9:30, Wayne Batson and I will journey back into New York and join our fellow authors Sharon Hinck and Christopher Hopper for the final stop in this exciting tour. Sharon and Christopher stayed at a mission church in Brooklyn, and they will drive to our Manhattan stop.

Now that I have a chance, I will post some photos from earlier days. At the Christopher Matthews store in Bel Air, MD, I had the great pleasure of seeing a neighbor from the days I lived in Baltimore, Gloria Ernst. You can see her in the photo at the upper right. We had a great turnout at this store and sold a lot of books. One young man bought or brought all of my books to be signed, as you can see in the next photo.

Next, we traveled to Newark, DE, and signed books at a Family Christian Store. This was a last minute addition to our tour, so there was very little promotion. Still, a few enthusiastic fans showed up, including Justin, who often posts comments on our blogs.
I'm including a photo of Christopher hugging our good friend, Justin. We also had a visit from Michael, a great supporter of Christian fantasy. He came fully dressed in a terrific bard's costume and played his Celtic harp. It had a lovely sound, and he played with great skill. He is a professional storyteller who uses his stories to plants seeds for the gospel. If you're interested in contacting him, go to www.tellitlikeitis.com. You can see him in the next photo playing his harp.

From that store we traveled to the Days of Knights store in Newark, a fantasy and gaming store. We had a decent crowd of people and had a lot of fun talking at length to aspiring writers. I had a great talk with one of the workers there about Harry Potter and why the stories are harmful to young readers. Frankly, since this was a secular store, I was surprised at his ardent dislike for Harry, but I agreed with him on every point. I also met a young man named Benjamin who is a fan of my books. He had a lot of great questions, so it was fun interacting with him. The next photo shows me at the front of the store.

The next day, we went to Brooklyn and signed at the Timeless Treasures store. I don't have any good photos from that stop. After the signing, we went to a lively service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a huge church sanctuary that was attached to the store. Unfortunately, the loud bass guitar made Amanda's heart hurt, and it did the same to mine. We excused ourselves early and waited for the others, who were kind and gracious, as usual, and left soon after. Although the physical pain from the service is gone, my heart still aches spiritually. Those who know me well understand why. If you don't, please don't ask.

I am thankful for my hosts, Roheryn and family. I will also post a photo of her, showing that she is her usual crazy self. It's so great to be able to see her again and meet her family. Right now, she and my daughter, Legossi (Amanda), are out visiting Roh's horse, Carlo.

I probably won't post again until I get home. I hope to wrap up my blog posting for the tour at that time. Thank you to all who supported us with prayer, hospitality, and coming out to our stour stops.