Anyone who knows my story, has heard this all before, so I’ll do my best to “nutshell” it here (even though novelists are notoriously bad at nutshell).
Years ago, when I started sending out my first novel, I had interest from multiple sources. However, the universal complaint was that I needed to either rewrite the story with a teen lead (so it could be published as YA) or add “adult” content (I’m sure you know what I mean).
Since I was not comfortable with either of those options, I shelved the book and turned my attention to a new series. When the Order of the MoonStone series and the Frozen World Series were published by S&G Publishing (with the only requests for editing directed at flow, grammar and plot), I decided to give them a crack at my beloved Andarii Chronicles as well, and I could not be more thrilled!
While perusing Facebook this morning, I scrolled past this article, which caught my attention, and so I scrolled back to it.
I have been prompted many times to defend my books…
“How can you write such trash when you claim to be a Christian?”
I work very hard to write CLEAN reads that can be enjoyed by readers of any faith… or even those who choose no faith.
“What’s the difference between a “Christian” novel and one written from a Christian world-view?”
There are many rules (both unspoken and clearly defined) about what makes a book Christian or not. One of the big ones is that each book must have a message of salvation clearly etched into the story arc. Now, granted, we are seeing more and more flexibility on this issue in the market today. And, we are seeing flexibility in other areas with the introduction of “edgy” Christian fiction. BUT, when I saw my first novel published, that was not the case, so they are not classified strictly as Christian fiction. Also, as stated above, I wanted to write my stories in such a way that even those readers who do not follow any faith could enjoy them.
“Don’t you know these stories are not Biblical! Don’t you feel as if you’re poisoning young minds?!?
To that, my only response can be: “You’ve clearly read the Bible, so you must know that Jesus was the original storyteller. He used parables as one of his main teaching methods. I believe He gifted me with this ability, and I do the best I can to write what He wants me to.”
There’s really no argument that can be made beyond that (usually because they walk away by then), but I am always thrilled to read articles like the one above, that confirm my devotion and validate the hard work that goes into every story I write.
JC Morrows 