Thursday Tidbit: Trends

Keeping up on what's happening in the publishing world is a never ending quest for a writer. Well, a writer who wants to get published traditionally, at any rate. This past week there's been some seismic action in the ol' CBA, but never fear. I'm here to keep you updated.

Science fiction/fantasy fans are all ajitter with the news that Steve Laube bought Marcher Lord Press. Marcher Lord is the premier (only) Christian imprint focusing solely on speculative fiction. Personally, I think it's a good move for the company. Founder Jeff Gerke did a bang-up job starting this press from thin air, but he's also a writer and an editor. That's a lot of hats for one man to wear. Granted, Steve Laube is also the founder and an agent at the Steve Laube Agency, but I think he'll be able to pull this one off.

A new publisher has come squalling into the world through the motherly arms of Barbour Publishing, who's launched Shiloh Run Press. Shiloh Run will be the new umbrella for Barbour's full-length fiction line.

Another arm of Shiloh Press will be Shiloh Run Studios, which will focus on original direct-to-digital serialized fiction. The first installation will be a 13-part digital short series titled Hidden Falls by Olivia Newport.

So that's what's happening in the land of publishing. . . until tomorrow . . . or maybe in an hour.

Ever Get a Book Stuck Inside Your Head?

Books are the mile markers on my life road, from early childhood's Go Dog. Go! to Nancy Drew in my tween years, which led to The Martian Chronicles and later as a young adult to The King's Brat and Jane Eyre. I didn't just pass time with these books. I entered the invisible literary portal and lived in them. They are ingrained into the tiny little crevices in the never-gonna-forget section of my gray matter.

You think I'm exaggerating? Not this time. I got me a big ol' scientific study to back up this theory of mine that novels can and are life changing.

In a recent study published in the journal Brain Connectivity, researchers found biological changes in reader's brains as they read books. They discovered that powerful stories have the ability to create muscle memory in the brain in the same fashion as if the reader had lived through the events. For at least five days after volunteers had finished reading, neurological effects could still be seen. The study suggests that favorite novels could have a longer-lasting effect on the brain's biology.

So no wonder I miss Mr. Rochester or wish I could vacation in Narnia. And I'd say God sure knew what He was doing when He chose the medium of a book to deliver His messages to mankind.

What about you? What books do you have stuck in your head?

Outdated?

freedigitalphotos.net

When I was growing up, way back when Dinosaur Crossing signs were abundant, expiration dates on food hadn't been invented yet. As a result, I tend to ignore most of them today, especially for stupid things like a can of pop (southern translation: soda). Like Coke is going to grow green fuzz inside a vacuum-sealed can? Spare me.

But it got me thinking...do authors have expiration dates? Example: if Jane Austen submitted Pride and Prejudice to a Christian publisher today, would it be accepted as is? I'm guessing not. Currently, tight writing is all the rage, making Austen's verbose descriptions unacceptable. Stamp a big ol' red EXPIRED on top of that manuscript.

It's curious, then, that sales of Austen's books continue to remain steady. What's up with that?

Three words... STORY IS KING!

Not that I'm dissing fantastic writing, but if the story isn't plausible, relatable, and entertaining, great writing isn't going to doll it up enough to sell it. Take that to heart no matter what kind of writing you do, and you'll never expire.

Centsless Books

I don't know about you, but after gift giving, entertaining, and a bridal shower thrown into the mix of the past month, my charge card is smoking. It's time to tighten the ol' belt around here...which is uber hard since I've gained 5 pounds.

So while I won't be running out to see the latest blockbuster, and eating out will be nixed for awhile, that doesn't mean I can't still snag some great reads. While tooling around the interwebs (that's techie lingo for a series of tubes), I came across a fan-freaking-tastic site that you don't want to miss.

CENTSLESS BOOKS updates every hour with the current bestselling eBooks available online. Yeah, I know I just ranted about not having any spare cash, but dudes...this is all FREE! Seriously.

Just click on the book that you want and it brings you directly to Amazon, where the title is offered as a free download. These eBooks work on desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets and Kindles. The variety is huge. Check often, though, because titles change frequently.

Grab yourself some great reads and hunker down for the next wave of global warming. Oh yeah, did I mention it's like ninety-gazillion degrees below zero here in the frozen tundra? Yep. Centsless Books, here I come.

Got Resolutions?

Need a Resolution?

The worst enemy 

to creativity 

is self-doubt.

~ Sylvia Plath

Make 2014 the year you lay this adversary to rest.

Kick Off Thought for the New Year

"Behold, I go forward,
but He is not there,
and backward,
but I do not perceive Him;
on the left hand when He is working,
I do not behold Him;
He turns to the right hand,
but I do not see Him.
BUT
He knows the way that I take.
When He has tried me,
I shall come out as gold."

Job 23:8-10

Job did not see the ways in which God was working, but that does not change the fact that God was indeed there, orchestrating everything, using all for a greater purpose.

My New Year's prayer for you and me is that we would know that God is at work though we may not see the evidence.