How would you like to read a book with me? What do you say we read a bit in a novel each week and then meet here on Fridays to discuss what we've read? Doesn't that sound like a great idea? Okay, I confess. I got this great idea from Tim Challies, who has been … Continue reading Soul balm (Gilead-1)
Charles Martin on getting published
Charles Martin has written some well-crafted novels depicting both beauty and pain. My favorite of his first several books is When Crickets Cry: A Novel of the Heart, which I placed in our church library. Another one I enjoyed was Where the River Ends, which I reviewed here. I look forward to reading his newer novels: The Mountain Between Us, … Continue reading Charles Martin on getting published
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
Confident and capable heroes sprint through John Buchan's action-packed novels. If you've never read any of Buchan's work, this first of his novels about Richard Hannay is a great starting gate. In the introduction to The Thirty-Nine Steps, Robin W. Winks writes that the book is "often said to have established the basic formula for the … Continue reading The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
Matthew still lives
Those of you who've followed my blog for a very long time may remember Matthew, the protagonist of a juvenile fiction series I started writing nearly five years ago. Poor Matthew's been "in hospital" for so long that even I began to despair of his release. For many reasons, this week seemed like a good … Continue reading Matthew still lives
Whose Words whisper in the Wind?
Book review: Words in the Wind by Yvonne Anderson, Gateway to Gannah #2 Risen Books, paperback; 296 pages; © 2012 Reviewed by Glenda Mathes Most people who've read Christian speculative fiction view it as poorly written, often romance masquerading as sci-fi with an awkward conversion scene thrown in. Obviously, they haven't read Yvonne Anderson's "Gateway to … Continue reading Whose Words whisper in the Wind?
Words in the Wind
This week my friend, Yvonne Anderson, launched the second in her "Gateway to Gannah" series, Words in the Wind. Readers of the first book, Story in the Stars, will be happy to know that Dassa and Pik are back, but won't be surprised to hear that both are faced with the biggest challenges of their lives. Marooned … Continue reading Words in the Wind
Still Echoing
Does it ever happen that you've been giving someone good advice and you suddenly realize you need to take it yourself? That happened to me this week. Having been cracking a whip over the head of a writing friend and encouraging her to take time daily for fiction writing, I realized I was far more … Continue reading Still Echoing
Discovering Ngaio Marsh
One of the best things about synod meetings is chatting with old or new friends over meals or on walks between buildings. And one of the most interesting conversations for me this year at Synod Nyack 2012 was a brief discussion about writers with Rev. Leo DeVos, the fraternal delegate from the Reformed Churches of New … Continue reading Discovering Ngaio Marsh
Living Echoes in mid-stream
Longtime readers of this blog may recall that the title Living Echoes first came to me during a personal retreat about a year and a half ago, which I wrote about here. I began a novel with that title in my NaNoWriMo effort of November, 2010. I wrote about the upcoming NaNoWriMo madness and my ideas … Continue reading Living Echoes in mid-stream
Retreat!
Yesterday was Fiction Friday on steroids. Seven writing women are gathered at Pine Lake Christian Camp near Eldora, IA, for a writing retreat. Last evening we had a wonderful meal, courtesy of the amazing Susan Lawrence, followed by helpful critiques of three submissions (including my chapter in Living Echoes). Everyone was kind. We didn't even have to … Continue reading Retreat!
Glenda Faye Mathes 