The Sex Problem

As I'm writing the prequel to Dragons in our Midst, I'm realizing that the story I want to tell cannot be fully understood without explaining some sexually provocative details. Of course I can't do that in young adult fantasy in the Christian market. And I don't want to do that anyway. I have a desire to protect young readers from an infusion of sensual thoughts in this already sex-saturated culture.

It's kind of strange, though, that the Bible is not too skittish about giving us some provocative stories. Just yesterday, in our family devotions, our Old Testament reading came from Genesis 38, and there's some pretty edgy stuff in that chapter. The details seemed important enough to include, and they gave us crucial insight into the family situation. I wonder if such a story would be publishable in the Christian market.

But, I digress.

The challenge for me is to write the story in such a way that adult readers and more mature young readers will be able to figure out what's going on, but readers who are too young to benefit from the details or might be upset by them would not catch the underlying meanings. (That was a mouthful!) I tried to do this in Circles of Seven when Billy had to face a temptation to lust, and I think it worked out well.

This new story, however, presents a more difficult challenge. The reason for the existence of a continuing antagonist requires an aberrant sexual union between an established evildoer in my story and a Bible character of ill repute. Don't hit me with the heresy club yet. This union is well within reasonable interpretation principles. The problem will be presenting this source of evil without writing anything provocative or titillating, while at the same time giving the feeling that something very evil is taking place. The sense of darkness is necessary, but I don't want any of that darkness to be left in my readers' minds.

If anyone else has gone through this process, I would appreciate any hints on what you did to pull it off.

Sprinting and Resting in Writing

As I'm working on my newest book, I'm reminded again of the importance of pace in a story. In my stories there are quite a few heavy action scenes, and young readers like those, but we can't maintain a fast pace without wearing down a reader after a while.

Every good action scene needs to follow with a substantial rest period, a time for reflection and setting up the tension that leads to the next action scene. Without the buildup of tension, the action seems frenetic and without purpose. It's simply tiring.

Also, I think the reader needs some time to catch his breath with the characters. The reader enjoys a few pages to contemplate the consequences of the action with the characters and how they must plan for the future. As each action scene is threaded together by skillful rest periods, the reader feels the motivations behind the action and is emotionally involved throughout.

So, always remember to give readers a break, one that helps them emote with the hero as he cleans his sword, savor the aroma of the meal the hero is cooking over an open fire as he chats with his comrades, and feel the energy as the hero mounts his horse for the next adventure.

What Can I Offer?

When I consider my presence on the web, I realize that most of the content is about my books and about me. There's a simple reason for that. I know about those subjects and can write about them easily. But I would like to do more. I would like to provide content that will help people, besides the pontificating and venting I do from time to time, which might provide a little inspiration.

I don't really have any writing tips that aren't already published in a dozen different books or websites of other writers. I'm not the best writer around, so aspiring writers have better options when it comes to getting the tools to tweak their own writing. I have some tips about being a father and husband, but I have already written books that pretty much cover all of that.

Until I come up with some ideas for more helpful content, I suppose it would be best to continue with what sets me apart as a writer and and continue to dwell on those topics. My readers know, or at least can sense, that I believe in writing about positive role models for my Christian characters. I don't like the sinful stereotypes that so many novelists feel they have to infuse in their characters. Our journey in faith is one of victory, not wallowing in sinful self-defeat. This, I believe, makes my stories unique, and I will continue to write about this passion.

If anyone has any ideas about what I can do to provide more practically helpful content, I would be glad to listen.

Contact

Regarding my previous post, I called the Wycliffe office and asked for my friend's contact information. Instead of giving that to me, they sent my contact information to him. He e-mailed me the same day.

Yes, this was the man I had prayed for. He remembers the miracles and how God revealed His grace, power, and mercy. He called himself "stiff-necked," but now he is following God with all his heart, helping with Bible translators in Southeast Asia.

Praise the Lord!

The Rest of the Story

Several months ago I posted a story (See story here) about a friend in college. I witnessed to him, prayed for him, and saw God work several miracles in an attempt to bring my friend closer to Him. My friend refused the gospel, even after seeing God's amazing, powerful love. You can learn more about my thoughts concerning what God was trying to do by reading the last few paragraphs of part two of that story (See Part two here).

Last week, one of my readers visited our home. She had become friends with my daughters and stayed with us for a few days. During that visit, I told her this story. I mentioned that I have prayed for him for 25 years and that I had sometimes Googled his name to see if I could find him, but I gave up on that.

Thinking about the Google search, I decided to try it again last night. I knew my friend had planned to go into the Navy, so I added Navy to his name in the search. I clicked on the very first link that came up, and the page described a man who went to the University of Florida (yes, that's my college), graduated in 1980 in engineering (Yes again), and was on a Navy scholarship while in school (bingo, once more). I scrolled down and found his photo. Yes, this man is an older version of my friend, same face and body shape, same strong jaw, etc. I found him!

So, what is he doing now? Though he repudiated God's call and miraculous love, did God's word have any lasting effect on him?

Drum roll, please. ... My friend is now a consultant for Wycliffe Bible Translators!!!! He became a Christian about ten years after the story events and is now on fire for the Lord!

I am now in the process of trying to contact him. I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of the rest of the story! Stay tuned.

Confidence vs. Negativity

People who know me realize that I pursue life with confidence. That doesn't mean that I have on the figurative rose-colored glasses, thinking everything will be hunky-dory and I will encounter no difficulties. It means that I believe that God will work through me, that He will be faithful to empower me to do everything He has called me to do. Basically, I have confidence in God and His promises. Since He lives in me, confidence infuses my outlook on what I can do.

There is so much negativity in Christendom today! It really distresses me and keeps adding new items to my list of pet peeves. For example, when someone says something negative about himself, you often hear someone else say something like, "Thank you for being honest."

What? How is honesty connected with negativity? Am I not being honest if I say, "I am obedient to God and have walked faithfully in His light"? How many times have you heard a statement like that and then someone replied, "Thank you for being honest." Apparently the majority of Christians have this "I'm a worm" mentality, and it really seems to keep them from being all they can be.

Why am I harping on this now? I think it's because of a topic I read on one of my writers' forums recently. Someone asked us to list two aspects of writing we hate that keep us from being MVP (Most Valuable Player) writers. Well, first of all, the assumption seems to be that no one on the list is or believes he can be an MVP writer. The second problem is this dwelling on the negative. Why not ask, "Those of us who are not already MVP writers should strive to be one. What aspect of your writing are you working on that will propel you into that category?"

You see, I have no problem believing that I am an MVP writer right now. When I was pursuing writing as a career, I was confident that I would become one. Why not? God had called me to be a writer, so I fully expected to become a good one. I always believe in performing at my very best, so why not have confidence that I could perform at a high level? And now that I am a best selling author and my publisher perceives me as their top author, it would be dishonest of me to believe otherwise or to display a false mask. Sure, I know that I still need to strive to be even better, but I will not lower my head and self-deprecate in order to achieve some false idea of humility or "honesty."

True humility is to have a correct view of our standing, as servants to the Almighty God. Without Him we would be nothing. We would not even be able to take a breath. Everything we do or hope to do is enabled by His grace and empowering. Yet, through Him, we can do all things, and it glorifies God when we stand up and tell the world what His power has done in us. This is authentic humilty--real honesty.

I believe that many aspiring writers would be benefit from a more confident outlook. While taking care not to gloss over inadequacies in their writing abilities and ignore their marketing strategies, they need to pursue their goals with complete confidence that it is God who is at work in them to bring about the ends that He has prepared.

So, writers, keep working hard at honing your craft. Take care to pursue relationships in the industry in order to learn the business. Seek to be a servant and help others. These are all essential steps. But I encourage you to keep your head up, knowing that you are children of the King. You are marching out to fulfill His calling, under His orders, and in His power. You are not worms who crawl in the mire, engaging in self-flagellation in order to adhere to a cultural perception of proper "humility."

If you decide to heed this counsel, you will likely be called proud or arrogant. Such accusations will sting. I know. I have felt those barbs many times. But take courage that Jesus endured the same poisoned arrows. He has called us to honor God no matter what, to tell the truth about God's light in us. We are a city set on a hill. Let us not hide our lights under the bushel of dishonest "honesty."

Stretching Young Readers

When I began writing Raising Dragons, I pondered the "depth" concept. Can I write a deep story that's geared toward young readers? Most of the Christian books I had read for young people were pretty superficial, in fact, boring. They seemed intentionally dumbed down, and I thought most readers in the target age group must be yawning or even insulted.

I decided to write a straightforward story that contained hidden depth. Any astute reader would be able to gather the hidden treasures, while the youngest readers would just have fun with the story. Still, I held back a bit. I wanted to write more complexity and more puzzles, but I thought I would start with something that would stretch my readers just a little. I didn't want to risk any readers thinking, "Huh? I don't get it."

With The Candlestone, I took a step forward in complexity. My hope was that readers of Raising Dragons might be ready to dig a little more. I added new characters, a bit of familial pathos, and a dash of science fiction. I also took the step of killing two characters. One was the object of the redemption theme, Bonnie's father, and one was a villain.

It's not unheard of to kill off a "good guy" in youth literature, so that wasn't a huge step, but it is more unusual, from what I've read, to kill off someone who is a big part of the story and is redeemed at the end.

The bigger step, I think, was to use my protagonist (Billy) to kill a villain (Palin) in a way that wasn't exactly courageous. In fact, he did directly the opposite of what he had been told to do. As readers know, this killing, even in its improper manner, is absolutely essential to the story and the development of Billy. Readers have debated his actions on my message board, so I know it was a seminal moment. It made them think about inward sin, rationalization, and God's work on the inner man. Most important, it helped them to consider another face of redemption.

When I wrote Circles of Seven, I took the gloves off. I decided to make it as complex and deep as my heart desired. Were my readers ready for such a leap? I thought so. If they could handle the depth of The Candlestone, maybe they were ready for another stretching exercise.

It would take too long to comment on the story themes and their many symbols in this book, godliness, redemption, sacrifice, sanctification, contentment, longsuffering, and more. I think I could write a book on this book, and it might be longer than the original. There are quite a few hidden treasures that no reader has ever commented on, so I wonder if they have all been found. Even so, I poured my heart into it and it brought great satisfaction, so I am content to hope that each little point in the story may find a life-changing place in some reader's heart.

With Tears of a Dragon, I took sort of a sideways step. I went back to the simplicity of storytelling that I used in Raising Dragons while trying to keep a good deal of the depth that is in Circles of Seven. I used more pure action, but I worked on infusing that action with the tying up of story loose ends that would make readers think. The symbol of a dragon messiah, fully dragon and fully human, dying for hopelessly lost souls brought my series-long redemption story to its climactic moment. Still, I wanted to personalize the redemption issue, so the heart of the redemption story was realized in a single soul, Jared/Clefspeare, and his return to Billy through his repudiation of pride. This worked as the peak of my thematic mountain.

Still, I wanted to take one last step. As most of my readers are young, I knew they identified more with Billy and Bonnie than with Jared/Clefspeare. I wanted to search their souls. Billy was my messiah character, but he was an imperfect symbol, needing so much redemption himself. He needed to empty himself of everything in his past.

But what about Bonnie? She was my symbol of the faithful Christian. While still growing in wisdom, grace, and knowledge, she bowed before her savior in obedience at every turn. She had to learn to be content with her "grostesque" feature, and she learned the value of using her weaknesses for God's glory, but did she need to empty herself as well? Was she really content with what she had no matter what? As I wrote in my last post, my desire was for readers to examine their own hearts. This is the final stretching moment that I hoped to achieve, self-examination.

So, as you might have gleaned by now, I believe in stretching young readers. They can take it. In fact, they crave it. When they get to the end of the exercise, they feel its value and the rush of spiritual adrenaline. They don't want to be insulted by the finger-wagging of simplistic stories that tell them what to do or not to do. They want to feel the inner passion of heart-felt conflict and see how it works out in lives that they care about, even if they are fictional.

But that's what good stories do. They stretch us beyond what we normally think we can achieve, and we need to remember that young people are often far more flexible than we might realize. We just have to be sure to help them stretch in the right direction.

Bonnie's Choice

This blog post includes spoilers for Tears of a Dragon, so if you haven't read the book, you might want to skip this entry.

At the end of Tears of a Dragon, Billy and Bonnie are faced with a heart choice--should they keep their dragon traits or not? A light from a gem would soon pass across them, and whatever decision was in their hearts would come to pass. This light would examine each of them to see what they truly wanted, and God would bring that decision about. The reader learns that Billy loses his dragon traits, but the book doesn't reveal what happens to Bonnie.

I hear from readers every day wanting to know what happened to Bonnie. Does she still have dragon wings? Some even say that they are angry that I would leave them hanging like that. Some are just confused and wondering. Some say, however, that the ending is perfect, exactly how it should have ended.

I made a conscious and difficult decision to leave what happens to Bonnie out of the book, because I wanted readers to think carefully about what their own decisions would be if they were in Bonnie's shoes. Would they be content to have the blessing and the curse associated with having dragon wings? Would they want to be normal and serve God with normal human attributes?

The answer the book gave comes through Billy's thoughts. Bonnie asks him if he wants to know, and he says in his mind, "It didn't matter. It just didn't matter." That's the message I want readers to ponder. Regarding your love for others and your service to God, would it really matter to you either way? Could you obey Him no matter what?

So, even now when readers ask me, I don't tell them the answer. First of all, I really don't know. If the answer isn't written, if the fiction isn't manisfested in the creation of the story, the answer seems unknowable. Second, if I could somehow give the answer, then my desire for readers to ponder the issue would end, and I assume the news of the answer would spread and the intent would be spoiled forever.

Therefore, as of this writing, I don't intend to ever let this answer be known. I won't write it, so there will be no answer to give. Of course, I could go into my crazy mind and ask Bonnie what happened. Would she tell me? Maybe. But I won't ask. Why? Because it doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter.

Christmas Poem - 2005

I hope I haven't bored too many people with my Christmas poems (assuming anyone's reading this blog at all). Here's the last one, this year's poem.

Carrying the Torch

My child, my heart, my soul’s delight
A precious gem extolled
He cannot grasp the aching love
My passion for his soul

Remembering not the day I took
His tiny hand in mine
And held him close to whisper prayers
So thankful for this time

He proves the rule that fledglings fly
And short is bliss enjoyed
He drops my hand and with a smile
He marches to the void

With heavy heart and empty hand
I scan horizons still
Awaiting news of pilgrim’s voyage
His progress good or ill

The future gives us only words
A promise strung along
And darkness lingers close when dreams
Are dashed by sirens’ songs

My soul reminds of other hearts
Who gave begotten lights
To shine their lamps in darker halls
Than those I fear at night

A Father cast His only Light
On this terrestrial ball
Though stripped and killed and tossed aside
Became the Light for all

My heart rejoices with the news
That darkness has no wraith
To overcome the power of light
In those who walk by faith

I gave this light into his hand
The morning of his birth
And stoked its fires daily as
He gazed into its worth

And now somewhere in caverns deep
Perhaps His torch he’ll raise
I trust its glow will keep my child
In step where angels blaze

Favorite Christmas Poem

Of all my Christmas poems, here is my favorite. Jeremiah Laughs - Christmas 2004

Alas! The candle’s wick is cold
Where love once burned so warm and deep,
Where passion flared and now has died,
Where Jeremiah comes to weep.

Familiar face, familiar knees,
To altar calls he weekly deigns
And mumbles sinners’ prayers anew,
Yet always leaves with ball and chains.

Oh, where did all the power fly
To break the bonds of sin and pride?
Did Jesus say the free indeed
Are those in whom the Son abides?

Yet light is spurned behind the veil,
While men shun gold and value dust.
They turn to Band-Aid cures for death
While surgeon scalpels spoil in rust.

The man in fetters sleeps with slaves
Believing rags are robes of white,
That fools are given crowns of gold
And sinners please the Lord of Light.

Alas! The Lord will slay these men,
No matter what their words embrace,
For Christ spews out the lukewarm hearts
The so-called sinners saved by grace.

Yet hope remains for candle flames,
The lights in darkest times revealed
In works of love and sacrifice,
Their gifts to God and man unsealed.

They tell the tale of Christ’s pure love
Emmanuel and His new birth,
“He comes with light and sword in hand
To heal the sons of men on earth.

“Embrace the sword of Christmas morn,
Our gift from God that cuts and mends
A heart of sin to purge the flesh,
Salvation’s light that never ends.”

And now the flame is burning new
In hearts who love the Shepherd’s staff,
Where passion burns and lives again
And Jeremiah comes to laugh.

Good News

The new CBA bestseller lists just came out, and the Young Adult list includes two of my books. "Raising Dragons" came in at number three, and "Tears of a Dragon" is at number seven.

Here's the link: http://www.cbaonline.org/TrackingLists/yck.jsp?w=t

I am so thankful!

Thanksgiving Meditation

Because it's Thanksgiving, the entire country now moves into Christmas mode. I'm not very fond of the annual shopping frenzy, so I'll use the season to beging posting holiday poems that I've written. I'm not sure how often I'll do it, but maybe I'll get several listed before Christmas rolls around. So, please meditate on them and post your thoughts if you are so inclined.

The Suffering Servant

My limbs spread out
I writhe and strain
They rip me through
The peals of pain

Thy lamb hath come
As thou didst say
New life I bring
This tear-stained day

But wars begin
On fields of hay
Where birds take roost
And kids find play

The bulls surround
The heavens roar
The demons shout
He’s from a whore!

Forsaken now
I feel from Thee
There is no help
To set me free.

The blood now drips
Where I once knelt
My bones, they scream
My heart doth melt

I thirst, I sweat
My tongue is dry
To sup thy will
Doth satisfy

This cup I drink
Is full and strong
It is my lot
To suffer long

But this I know
The pain will cease
And all may know
The Prince of Peace

I hear His voice
With Him I cry
It is finished
No more to die

My soul rejoice
Tis worth it all
To bring him forth
To heed his call

Behold thy maid
Hath borne Him well
My son, thy son
Emmanuel

Thanksgiving Fun

I'm posting a poem for Thanksgiving a day early. This one is for fun. I hope to post a more serious note on Thanksgiving.

Turkey Surprise

The turkey’s in the oven;
It’s been there since the dawn.
It isn’t even brown yet, so
I wonder if it’s on?

The gravy’s started boiling;
Ten taters in the pot.
I guess I should’ve washed ‘em ‘cause
They taste bad if they’re not.

My corn is fully buttered.
Why is it jelling fast?
It might have been for all I know
Some grease from dinners past.

They’ll be here any minute.
I wish I hadn’t bragged
That I could cook a ten course feast.
I should be bound and gagged.

The beans are nice and brown now.
I think they started green.
But that’s okay because the bread
Is now that color’s sheen.

A hair dropped in the stuffing.
A roach fell in the stew.
But stirred and cooked it’s all the same;
It just will have to do.

A dozen places to be set,
And only five are clean.
But Rover’s tongue is better than
A Maytag dish machine.

My guests are all arriving,
Expressions kind of pained.
I made the incense strong because
The kittens aren’t quite trained.

With gusto full I served it,
My guests in such surprise,
To see a turkey still so pink
Set right before their eyes.

It’s fully cooked I promised;
It’s just that this bird’s made
With berry juices as its baste
So pink’s its normal shade.

But did they doubt my promise
Or was it other food
That made them wince and spit and gag?
How could they be so rude?

To top it off my thankless guests
Did call for expert aid,
And pizza soon arrived in force
To save this sad charade.

The holidays have passed us by.
I’m thankful cause I know
They’ll never ask for me to cook
Until all Hell is snow.

Her husband praises her (Proverbs 31:28)

My wife and I will celebrate our twenty-fifth anniversary in December, and I just want to tell the world that she is awesome! She is a sparkling jewel, the true Proverbs 31 woman. If there is a flaw in her character, I don't see it, and I certainly won't go looking for it. She gives. She loves. She endures.

After blessing me with seven wonderful children, she labors to give me every comfort of home she can, always looking to please me in all things. She is patient. She is kind. She is warm. In reality, she is my home.

May God be praised for giving such a blessing to me! With all my heart, and with God's help, I affirm that I will treat her as the magnificent treasure that she is. Many daughters have done nobly, my dearest Susie, but you excel them all. (from Proverbs 31:29)

Heroes Part 3

Great stories can inspire heroism, helping it to bubble up and spring forth, even against a tide of mediocrity. When we see heroes in literature, we are challenged. If we find that the heroes are more brave and virtuous than we are, do we strive to be like them, or do we remain where we are, satisfied with the mediocrity that holds us in place? That's the power of a story that provides true heroes. It gives us a model, someone to follow and imitate.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a movement in Christian literature toward what some call "realism" or "honesty" in storytelling. What does that really mean? From what I have read, it seems that making Christians more sinful, showing them struggling (and failing) against inner, fleshly conflict, is, for some, the key to making stories more "real." Far from portraying a Christian as virtuous, consistently obedient, even heroic, these stories portray the worst possible scenario, the Christian who disobeys. In other words, it displays the hypocrite as being the normal, real, honest portrayal of Christianity.

True "Reality" is so far from this imagined concept of the Christian life! "Honest" portrayals of faith in Christ should demontrate faithfulness, mercy, grace, compassion, patience, and any other characteristic that Christ Himself would show. If a story shows a Christian to be lustful, prideful, dishonest, or any of the manifestations of the evil one, the story is being dishonest. It is telling a lie. As the Bible says, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And since Christ lives in me, what I manifest on the outside, is what is true on the inside.

This is why we must write with a true biblical worldview, that the Spirit of Christ is able to change a person into a true hero, a virtuous man or woman. We see the evil of hypocrisy in the lives of people all around us every day. Why should we perpetuate the lie in literature? Such a portrayal helps no one. It only drags us down, makes us think that everyone must be a lower-than-dirt worm who can't find true freedom from sin.

If we want to foster a generation of heroes, let us begin by writing stories for young people that tell the truth about the power we have in Christ. We really do overwhelmingly conquer. Jesus really is greater than Satan. If we really want to obey Him, we can. We must.

Heroes Part 2

A couple of years ago, I accompanied my oldest daughter as she attended a leadership retreat for teenagers, checking out the teachers and the content of their messages. As the overseer of my children's spiritual lives, I wanted to make sure I knew what information would be entering her mind.

During a presentation for the young men in the group, the teacher had the boys kneel and make a commitment of chastity, a vow to be pure in mind and body. I thought it was great, but as he ended, the teacher said something like, "Now I know you're all going to fail to keep this commitment," and he went on to talk about their need to confess and repent when they did fail.

I was aghast. What a horrible way to inspire young men! First, get them to make a vow to God, then blast their confidence with assurance that they would fail. Unbelievable! It's no wonder that so many of our young people are drowning in the sea of sin. They are tossed a life raft and then someone comes along and deflates it!

But this kind of teaching is common, in fact almost universal, in the church today. Preachers tell us to be obedient, to follow God with all of our hearts, then they tell us it's impossible to obey God consistently. In fact, in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, we are told that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, and the only way to do that is through obeying the word of God, yet the same catechism tells us that everyone sins every day in thought, word, and deed.

It's no wonder the church is confused. We are told we can and should obey, yet the power to do so is denied in everyday practice. We are told to have victory, but if we were to claim that we have consistent victory, we would be called liars.

We cannot encourage heroism in our young people unless we discard this illogical and unbiblical practice of the church today. We have to promote confidence. We should remind our youth of the Bible verses that guarantee God's help as they seek to serve Him.

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. (1 John 5:4)

Our confidence is well-founded. The power to obey comes from God, and we should neither squash a young persons' exuberance to make confident vows of fidelity toward God, nor deny his testimony that he has fulfilled his commitment every single day.

This is real Christianity. This is honest Christian living. God help us to tell the truth.

Heroes

Young people crave heroes.

I have been meditating on this truth ever since my visit yesterday to a local school where I spoke to a wonderful group of fifth graders. Many of them had already read my books, and to them, I was a celebrity. Although I gave each one an autographed bookmark, dozens of wide-eyed kids asked me to sign pieces of paper, marker boards, even a baseball mitt. It was a bit embarrassing to be the object of so much attention, but the magnitude of a young person's desire to be a part of, or to be near, a significant person (at least to them) really impressed me.

Why is this true? I think God implants in each one of us a passion for doing something significant, and although many adults may have suppressed the urge, young people feel that seed of passion. When they see someone fulfilling the innate calling, they are naturally drawn to that person. Still too young to carry out the calling themselves, they want to grab hold of the sports hero, media celebrity, or even an author who is stepping out to do something noteworthy.

What can we do to nurture and develop this planted seed in young people? I have some ideas I will be sharing soon. If anyone out there wants to chime in, please do.

Book Tour Scheduling

Scheduling appearances in various cities might be the hardest part of my job. I call lots of places, and I rarely get return calls. I send many e-mails and the returns hardly ever come. Either people are super busy, or I'm suffering from a strange case of invisible man syndrome.

So, you out there in cyberspace, if you want a free author appearance at your school, library, church, or just about any other ethical organization, please contact me. Right now I'm concentrating on getting a west coast tour going, but I'm open to other areas.

Here's a website that will tell you what I talk about: http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com/teachers.html

Help cure me of invisibility!

A Writer's Busy Life

I'm not going to win any awards for posting frequency. Maybe someday I'll begin posting once a month, then once a week, then daily. ... No. Probably not. But I'll do what I can.

I wonder if people perceive a writer's life as leisurely and slow-paced. We sit and stare at the ceiling, contemplating eternal truths and translate them into down-to-earth stories. Maybe we sip coffee and work a crossword puzzle, just to warm up, then log onto the computer and check our standing on six different fantasy football leagues. Got to keep the mind occupied during writer's block, right?

Not exactly. Maybe it's that way for some, but I don't know any writer who isn't constantly busy. Whether a book deadline stalks him night and day or speaking engagements demand preparation, every author I know lives at a frantic pace.

So, now as I leisurely sit back in my soft deskchair, I'll finally take time away from my fantasy football league and stack of crossword puzzle magazines and post an update.

Tears of a Dragon is on schedule ... I think. At least I've done all I can. It was edited and proofread by a couple of wonderfully talented editors. I carefully studied the typeset version and sent back the pages that needed changes (210 pages to be corrected! Ouch!). I checked the altered typeset version and approved the final document. It should now be at the printers.

Our official release date is October 30. I hope to have copies well before that, so those who order from me on-line might get yours before that date. We'll see.

I'm rapidly filling up my appearance schedule. The month of October is already getting crazily busy, and most of the events are out of state. Time to hit the road again.

Speaking of busy, while I was writing this, my wife called me to tell me we are getting two foster children short-term, two young brothers, ages 2 and 6. That's exciting ... and scary. Yes, the benefit for these two kids could be wonderful, but it's always a difficult transition. God help us to be the temporary parents these boys need at such a troubling time in their lives.

Well ... back to work!

Coming up for air

I feel such relief! I finished "Tears of a Dragon." My wife is going over it for the second time, combing it for flaws, and she declares it the best of the four, and so do my children who have read it. Yes, I know that family members are considerably biased and desire to say good things, but after all the late hours over the past couple of months, I'll take any encouragement I can get.

Now my wonderful, talented editor will get her hands on it, and the book and I will bleed together. She is tough, but she's also almost always right. But we are extremely pinched for time, so please continue to pray that we can get this book out on schedule.